reel_emotion
Based on the novel by Julian Barnes and directed by Philip Saville (Masterpiece Theatre's The Buccaneers, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil miniseries), Metroland is a charming little British movie. It's a character study of Chris, played by Christian Bale (American Psycho, Batman Begins, Rescue Dawn), in an early role that is a nice change of pace for him. Bale captures this sweet, geeky, funny every-man character brilliantly. In 1977, now a married man with a baby girl, Chris lives in the suburb of Metroland, his hometown, where he vowed as a teenager that he would leave and never return. Every working day he takes the mass transit rail out of the suburb to London to his job at an advertising agency. He wanted to be a globe-trotting photographer, but settled for this. Chris seems content with his life, but when his ne'er-do-well chum Toni, played by Lee Ross (Secrets and Lies), shows up, Chris has a midlife crisis, albeit a young midlife crisis. Toni's appearance brings back the memories of his carefree life before marriage and responsibility: during the 1960s, when he lives in Paris, takes photographs, and has his first serious girlfriend, Annick (Elsa Zylberstein). Bale plays a naive, love sick man to Annick's worldly, sexy French woman. They start an intense sexual affair, and Chris is quite smitten with Annick until he meets Marion—all decked out in go-go boots, liquid eyeliner, and a That-Girl hair flip. Chris is attracted to Marion mainly because she can see through some of his foolishness. In one conversation between the two—reminiscent of It's a Wonderful Life, in which James Stewart informs Donna Reed that he doesn't want to marry or have kids, but then gleefully gives in, kissing Reed—, Chris tells Marion that he wants to stay on in Paris and doesn't want to get married and have children. Marion cruelly replies, "You're not original enough to." Chris reconsiders his relationship with Annick, who he has nothing in common with—only lust. And he chooses Marion. In one of many funny scenes, Chris is in bed with his wife, Marion, played by Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Hilary and Jackie, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep). He starts kissing her sweetly, but she is too tired for that. He says to her, "I can't remember the last time." "Yesterday morning," she replies. Then he says, "Yeah, we used to do it three times a day." She says, "It only happened once, and you complained about being sore a week afterwards." He smiles and replies, "Sore, but very smug." This changes Marion's mind, but they are soon interrupted by their daughter's cry--such is the life of a family man. During Toni's visit, Marion makes her dislike for him clear to Chris who defends his lifelong friend. Toni is bound and determined to lead Chris astray, so that Toni can prove to himself that he made the right decision not to settle down. Toni plays his part well as the devil on Chris' shoulder. At his party, Tony convinces one of his free minded girlfriends to give Chris a shag. Just as Chris is considering consummation, he imagines Marion being carried away in an ambulance. When Toni happens to pass by the room, Chris realizes that Toni put her up to it—and is insulted and leaves. It shows how even the closest, longest friendships can die in adulthood when people choose to go down different paths. Later Chris suspects something happened between Marion and Toni, and he gets into fisticuffs with Toni. Marion tells Chris that he made a pass at her; she was somewhat tempted, but refused. As Toni gets ready to leave town, Chris and he make up somewhat half-heartedly. While taking a bath together, Chris tells Marion about the girl at Toni's party who he nearly slept with, and, of course, Marion has an ongoing joke of telling Chris to go ahead and have an affair. Marion then reveals to Chris she had a one night stand long ago and tells him that it won't happen again. We don't know if this is true, or if Marion is only trying to spice things up—because as a result of her confession, they have passionate sex. And afterwards she kids him about having sex with the girl at the party.Christian Bale's mutton chops and flared collars and pants legs give the movie a real retro feel. Bale has some great comedic moments here. In one of two very good scenes, Toni takes Chris to a punk rock concert, but Chris hates punk and only tolerates it by getting drunk and stoned. Chris comes home quite randy and keeps trying to pull Marion down on the bed in his inebriated state. The other scene is Chris' first date with Annick in which he conspicuously kisses her—and pulls her into bed awkwardly. The female characters teeter on being stereotypical. Annick and Marion are the archetype of the all-knowing, all-beautiful, all-witty woman to the archetype of Chris as the bumbling, sex obsessed male. Emily Watson's performance elevates Marion's character, so she doesn't turn into a shrew—we can sympathize with her as Chris shuts her out as he daydreams about his glory days of youth. We also feel sympathy towards Annick as she goes from being the experienced one in the relationship to being the needy and jealous one as Chris matures. I describe Metroland as a British cozy romantic dramedy—if such a thing exists. Some memorable scenes and some funny moments make the film worthwhile. As does the good acting between Bale and Watson, who make it more than a forgettable flick. Bale and Watson have good chemistry and repeat that again in the 2002 Sci-Fi cult classic, Equilibrium. Metroland is a movie you rarely see now: a movie that deals intelligently and realistically with themes of adulthood.
strangerdave-2
All of us, as we age, recall the choices we've made in our lives that led us to the place we are currently. Inevitably, there is at least a tinge of regret and wonder about how our lives would be different if we had chosen an alternate path. The self-doubts become starker when we meet up with old friends who took that different route.That is the theme of Metroland, which takes place in suburban London in the late 70s. Chris (Christian Bale) is a middle class husband and father approaching middle age who commutes to an office job in the city. The excitement has waned from his marriage to Marian (Emily Watson), and he has constant reveries about his first girlfriend (Elsa Zylberstein), and the good times he had as a young single man in Paris during the late 60s. The longing for those days intensifies when he is visited by his old friend Tony (Lee Ross), who has remained single, traveled the world, and boasts of a string of exotic affairs. Sensing Chris's restlessness, Tony tries to provide him with a taste of the swinger's lifestyle. This temptation confounds Chris all the more, and things don't crystallize until Tony ultimately makes a pass at Marian.There is nothing about this film that doesn't work. The writing is superb; the acting outstanding; and the story extremely entertaining, in that the situations are those with which we can all relate. According to the credits, "Metroland" was funded in part by proceeds from the English national lottery. This is one gamble that paid off handsomely for everyone.
Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman)
I liked this movie. Its stars, Christian Bales and Emily Watson, shine with a refreshing innocence.It is one of those pictures where you can regret the time wasted watching it, or reflect on what it means to settle for the suburban lifestyle with its daily commutes to the city, the crying baby in the middle of the night, the sometimes jaded sex. All the time knowing it will continue until you retire.And to look back at the freedom of the young years in Paris with "sex in the afternoon" and not much money. Toni, played by Lee Ross, looking dissolute and hedonistic, blows back into the life of Christian Bales ten years later and tries to make him take the road less travelled by going around the world and living free and easy with no ties.There are then a series of many flashbacks to the carefree years. I liked the way Chris takes the time to evaluate his current life. It is not all about duty and responsibility but choices too and there is a bit of a zinger in the last few scenes. 7 out of 10. A thoughtful adaptation of the novel.
