Sunday, March 01, 2009
A+E, Movies, Reviews

No rising from these ashes

Not much to love about Joaquin Phoenix’s "final" role

BY STEVE WARREN

After following his Oscar-nominated performance in “Walk the Line” with a couple of stiffs (“Reservation Road,” “We Own the Night”) and now “Two Lovers,” Joaquin Phoenix announced that he’s giving up acting for a career in music. Assuming it's not just one big publicity stunt, but “Two Lovers” will ensure that he’s not missed on the big screen.

Phoenix gives a showy, “Look at me, I’m acting!” performance as Leonard Kraditor, a Brighton Beach Jewish guy who’s torn between a nice Jewish girl and the blonde shiksah of his dreams. Director and co-writer James Gray wants to give Phoenix plenty to work with, so Leonard tells us his last relationship broke up because he carries the gene for Tay-Sachs disease, and his mother tells us he’s bipolar. Aside from attempting suicide when he’s off his meds, Leonard doesn’t show many signs of bipolar behavior; it’s more like he’s doing “the half retard.”

Since that last breakup, Leonard has been living with his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov) in an apartment that’s supposed to be cramped, but looks almost palatial thanks to widescreen photography. He works in the family dry cleaning business, which his father is negotiating to sell to Michael Cohen (Bob Ari), who just happens to have an eligible daughter, Sandra (Vinessa Shaw). The business deal is like one of those weddings in European history that were designed to unite two countries. Sandra is loving and devoted, knows all about Leonard and even says she’ll “take care” of him.

But, being a guy, Leonard’s more interested in Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a spoiled rich druggie who thinks of him “like a brother.” Michelle’s having an affair with a married man (Elias Koteas) who keeps promising to leave his wife for her. Leonard is the nice guy who falls in love with her when she turns to him for consolation and possible codependency.

Also, being a guy, Leonard can’t be honest with either woman. He frequently breaks dates with Sandra when Michelle deigns to see him, without being honest about why. And he doesn’t consider Sandra important enough to mention to Michelle, who doesn’t want to hear about his life anyway.

Paltrow does a good job, perhaps because playing an unlikable character isn’t much of a stretch for her. Shaw is OK in a stock role, though Phoenix makes her motivation hard to understand; you automatically think less of any woman who would be attracted to him. I can imagine Ryan Gosling inhabiting Leonard and making an audience care about him, despite a script that only departs from the familiar for “WTF!” moments. But Phoenix tries to get by on charm, and here, at least, he doesn’t have any. 2 STARS