Trust the Man (2005)

Best movie ever!

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Bart Freundlich's 'Trust The Man' reminded me of those quirky and whimsical Woody Allen films about adult relationships. However, this film lacked the whimsical quality of Allen's films and where Allen's films are rather subtle, 'Trust the Man' has a few sequences that were over the top. The worst of which is the climax scene surrounding the Tobey-Elaine storyline.Yet, 'Trust the Man' is still a likable effort. The dynamics of the two relationships and friendships are interesting and the interactions are both amusing and intense to watch. The performances stand out. David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal are terrific in their respective roles. Gary Shandling and Ellen Barkin in hilarious in their one scene. Justin Bartha, James Le Gros, Eva Mendes and sensual Dagmara Dominczyk are great in their three scenes.It is easy to tell that the cast and maybe the crew had a lot of fun when making the film. Most of the comedic sequences and the dialogues (except for the few over the top ones as mentioned above) work well as they made me laugh. I did not mind the in your face jokes either.Nest to a few over the top jokes 'Trust the Man's main problem is the writing. the problems that the characters don't seem to be well-etched and they appear rather one-dimensional and convenient for the sake of creating a plotpoint. Many of the actions of the characters feel out of place or forced, like Tom engaging in an extra marital affair when he clearly loves his wife or Tobey following his therapist.As flawed as it might be, I, overall, enjoyed watching it because of the performances and humour.

One of the significant tragedies in modern film is the coupling of one of our most powerful actresses with an insipid filmmaker.Here, we have her placed in a film he made, playing an actress with an insipid husband — a writer. He has a friend who is there simply to say goofier things, and thereby make the film appealing. As with all date movies, the separated couple is reunited by a public confession of love that is accepted (and happily ever after...). In this case, that confession literally happens at a play Julianne's character is in. So there's the simple, mechanical narrative fold.As a quirky, inconsequential film, its not so bad, about in the middle of its cohort. Our goofy pair, anchored by Billy Crudup who is observed by Gyllenhaal (and in another position, Shandling). But no one really comes to film simply to tread water in the flood of desperate romance. We come for some advance. With films that advertise themselves as trivial, a trivial advance will do. Nothing here does that, and because the centerpiece is a woman who is patiently wasting her life, the message is clear. So I will recommend that you not watch this unless you are prepared to get depressed.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

This is the first Bart Freundlich film I've seen. Apparently, all of his films revolve around family and love relationships, so the man must know something. Could it be difficult being married to Julianne Moore? Freundlich is, and his "Trust the man" has Moore in a starring role, as Rebecca, a famous film actress who's married and has two children; Moore plays the part brilliantly and she doesn't seem to be playing herself.The other starring roles include Billy Crudup as Tobey; Rebecca's brother, whose best friend is Tom (David Duchovny); Rebecca's husband, and is the boyfriend of Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal); Rebecca's very good friend. It's not that everything in the film is about Rebecca, I could have constructed the relationships departing from any other character, but the one played by Moore seemed logical to establish a real life connection.It would be pretty fair to say that nothing really important happens in "Trust the man", which makes it even harder for me to recommend it as the good movie it is. Writer/director Freundlich takes a risk at showing us that 'slice of life' I love so much, and that's undoubtedly where the film works best. He has such an ear for relationship problems and also a very good eye for putting them on screen.Among the many things that we experience in "Trust the man", some short but insightful conversations can be pointed out: a visit that Rebecca and Tom make to the psychologist (a short appearance by Garry Shandling), a meeting Elaine has with the director of the publisher (a short appearance by Ellen Barkin) she's hoping will publish her children's book, the short visits that Tobey makes to his shrink (the infallible and uncredited Bob Balaban), and one discussion Elaine and Tobey have-or any of their discussions, for that matter-that the rest of the guests at Rebecca's house overhear in the table.My friend Alejo tells me he reads scripts often. Well, he should read this one, because it's brilliant. All the parts I mentioned are little moments during which reality is overwhelming and we can't believe our ears as we admire Freundlich's incredible perception. Not so often it happens to me that I'm blinded by the script of a romantic comedy, because "Trust the man" belongs to that genre in an uncommon way and it's also, luckily, funny.The chemistry of the actors here is also more important than in any ordinary romantic comedy. They're playing human beings involved in long-term relationships and it's vital that we feel the connection they have after such a long time. Elaine and Tobey have been together for seven years; and we really believe the immaturity transmitted by Crudup's wonderful portrayal and the innocence and deception that the wonderful and beautiful Gyllenhaal makes us feel. Duchovny, a genius when doing comedy, is inspired as ever and shows us that moment of life that's not a turning point but it's a crisis, and a tough one; and about Moore I already told you.The problem (and it's not a small one) in "Trust the man" comes when Freundlich wants to get away from the ordinary and become extraordinary; in the film. In the genre, this means doing the typical thing; so after we've had such a good time with twists that haven't been important or forced, the resolution comes as a big disappointment…As if Freundlich chickened out and took the easy way out.But trust this man on this one: this resolution will still get a smile out of your face (more likely if you're a fan of the genre like me) and it won't make the ride any worse. "Trust the man" is a keeper; a rare piece in its genre that will hopefully achieve its reflections stay with you for a while.

With over 100 feature films released in year, it can be hard to keep track of all the titles worth tracking down and checking out. Last year I saw a preview for Trust the Man before Thank You For Smoking, but with the great number of other flicks coming out in wider release, I forgot about it until this weekend. After watching it, I wish I had forgotten about it completely for there is almost nothing redeeming about this cinematic catastrophe. The cast has no chemistry, the writing and directing is amateurish, and cinematography is murky.However, the picture's biggest fault is the tone. Trust the Man drifts uneasily from dirty sex comedy to tepid romance to boring drama from scene to scene, making for not only an extremely frustrating viewing experience, but an uncomfortable one as well. It's as writer/director Bart Freundlich didn't know what genre he wanted his movie to fall under during shooting, thinking that he would decide later in the editing room. Apparently that didn't work out either as it seems there are numerous scenes missing or incomplete. Other scenes go on far too long(the scenes with Billy Crudup in his car are perfect examples). There wasn't a single scene in Trust the Man I found effective, funny, or well done. The plot is a huge mess, gaping with holes. The only reason I give it a 1 as opposed to a zero is I reserve zeros for only those films that I find morally offensive/repugnant or without any artistic value whatsoever. 1/10