Written by Jennifer
March 14, 2011
Marriage, parenthood, aging parents, and stressful, unrewarding jobs drag us all down, and sometimes depressing movies add themselves to the list.
Each morning people all across America wake up to challenging lives. Marriage, parenthood, aging parents, and stressful, unrewarding jobs drag us all down, and sometimes depressing movies add themselves to the list. Every Day may offer a portrait of life in a modern family, but it fails to offer entertainment.
Like many of us, Ned (Liev Schreiber) has all the trappings of a normal life, but it doesn’t feel so normal on the inside. His wife (Helen Hunt) is often stressed and distant, and it certainly doesn’t help when her aging, ailing, slightly estranged (and deranged) father (Brian Dennehy) moves in with them. His teenage son is hell bent on attending a gay prom for college kids, and his slave driving boss (Eddie Izzard) is constantly dogging him to write dirtier and more outrageous scripts for television. Complicating matters even more is his foxy colleague (Carla Gugino) who threatens to lead Ned into temptation.
It’s all pretty standard fair: stuff we deal with (wait for it) Every Day. Thing is, I think we’re all well aware of the pitfalls in ordinary life, and they’re much easier to bear without the added punishment of listening to Helen Hunt complain. Every line uttered from her lips oozes misery, and her demeanor is so beleaguered and put-upon that she’s almost intolerable. The very act of speaking seems to require all her energy, but her efforts aren’t doing us any favors.
It may be more realistic to show people frustrated and beaten down by the hurdles in their lives, but it certainly doesn’t make for uplifting or relatable viewing. Though Ned and his wife are ultimately able to see the beauty and goodness in their flawed lives, their selfishness and denial (“we’ll talk about it tomorrow”) make them unappealing characters with whom to spend 93 minutes.
DVD NOTES
Extra features include cast interviews, deleted scenes, and the original theatrical trailer.
