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| Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (r) star in By the Sea |
Rotten Tomatoes Plot: A married couple takes a vacation in France in the 1970s and find that their time in a sleepy seaside town, complete with a unique array of locals, strengthens their bond and reaffirms their marriage. Directed by Angelina Jolie. Stars Jolie, Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud and Niels Arestrup.
Jolie's Vanessa ponders, "Maybe an adventure would be good for us." By the Sea is more of a struggle, than an adventure; but once you get past the layers of depression and (possible) self-indulgence, it's actually a pretty good movie. It moves at a steady pace, despite its sleepy setting; and the acting is first rate (particularly Jolie & Pitt.) There's even bits of lightheartedness (dinner in front of the peephole) amidst the doom & gloom of a strained marriage. Credit Jolie for not weighing the film down with arguments, yet keeping it painfully authentic, sexy and (most importantly) interesting.
Grade: B-
