Two Lovers (2008)
83%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 12 nominations
Two Lovers is a complex, intriguing, richly-acted romantic dram
Two Lovers is a movie that will make you feel all the emotions. From the heartache to the swooning romance, this film has it all. Joaquin Phoenix delivers a performance that will leave you feeling like you need a hug. The plot is tightly constructed and the emotions are accurately conceived, making it an engaging ensemble piece. It’s a throwback to a time when movies were understated and beautiful, and it’s definitely worth a watch. Just make sure you have some tissues handy!
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Magnolia Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Kanosh, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 13, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2009
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas, Moni Monoshov, directed by James Gray, written by James Gray and Ric Menello, drama, romance, R rating, box office gross $3.1M, reviewed by Simran Hans, Richard Brody, Hank Sartin, Christine Champ, Evan Williams, Philippa Hawker, Taylor Baker, Jason Best, Yasser Medina, Felicia Feaster, complex, intriguing, richly-acted, broken engagement, photographer, Brighton Beach, honest, sensible, perfect match, manipulative, rich, married boyfriend, emotional, melancholy, nuanced, relationships, heartbreak, toxic relationships, predictable, forgettable, hauntingly emotional, well-intentioned, charming, bi-polar, suicidal, eccentric, shroud of mystery, soberingly provocative, unforgettable
Worldwide gross: $113,649
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $123,605
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,003
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,479
US/Canada gross: $71,162
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $77,396
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,695
US/Canada opening weekend: $25,378
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $27,601
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,392
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Gwyneth Paltrow – Michelle Rausch
Vinessa Shaw – Sandra Cohen
Isabella Rossellini – Ruth Kraditor
Elias Koteas – Ronald Blatt
Moni Monoshov – Reuben Kraditor
James Gray – Director/Writer
Donna Gigliotti – Producer
Anthony Katagas – Producer
Ric Menello – Writer
Director(s)
James Gray
Writer(s)
James Gray, Ric Menello
Producer(s)
Donna Gigliotti, James Gray, Anthony Katagas
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 12 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (168) | Top Critics (65) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (30)
What’s striking about this particular entry in the Phoenix-as-isolated-eccentric canon is its flavour of defeated animal loneliness.
February 3, 2021
Simran Hans
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
Joaquin Phoenix stars-and delivers his most self-scourging performance-in James Gray’s taut and melancholy Brighton Beach romance.
April 14, 2020
Richard Brody
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
May 6, 2011 | Rating: A
Christine Champ
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
The film never feels dark or gloom-laden. The performances are so sensitive, so convincing, that we are drawn inescapably into a real world of pain and solace.
June 12, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Evan Williams
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Despair and confusion are explored in Two Lovers with a rigorous, unsentimental directness that is also full of feeling.
June 5, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Philippa Hawker
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Episode 49: Hustlers / Ad Astra / Two Lovers / ALTIPLANO
October 18, 2021 | Rating: 78/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Gray has made a thoughtful and sensitive chamber piece, and he gets a fine performance from Phoenix, who conveys his character’s anguish and heartache with deep feeling.
November 24, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
It features a solid performance by Joaquin Phoenix, but the truth is that its story about the stages of heartbreak and toxic relationships is predictable and somewhat conventional. [Full review in Spanish]
August 8, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
But the true beauty of Two Lovers is the tightly constructed plot and accurately conceived emotions of this engaging ensemble piece.
January 27, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
The whole film feels like a throwback, at once swooningly romantic and achingly sad.
July 7, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Everything about this quietly beautiful film is understated – the performances, the score and, most of all, the inner turmoil that easily can mean life or death for the most sensitive among us.
December 11, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times…
Plot
After a broken engagement, Leonard Kraditor moves in with his parents and becomes involved with two women, Sandra and Michelle. As he navigates his feelings for both women, he must confront his own inner turmoil and make a decision about his future.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Joaquin Phoenix delivers a “self-scourging” performance in this “taut and melancholy” romantic drama, according to a top critic on Fresh Kernels.
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