MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

ReganRebecca The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby was originally intended as a movie to be focused on a man's perspective as his wife disappeared out of his life. When writer-director Ned Benson brought star Jessica Chastain on, she asked him about Eleanor's perspective and he was so enraptured with this question that he wrote an entire version of the movie dedicated to her view point of the marriage. The two films were shot simultaneously, but times and audiences being what they are, the distributor cut a third version of the film so that audiences could experience the whole thing in one go. As someone who has seen all three versions of the films (his, her and them) I can tell you this is a mistake. The best way to experience the film is by watching some combination of the Him & Her versions (pick your poison, watching either one first has its benefits and drawbacks, although "Him" does start earlier in the timeline than "Her").The problem with Them is that it reveals that Rigby is actually a very simplistic movie. It's the story of married couple Connor Ludlow (James McAvoy) and Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain) whose marriage has suffered a devastating blow. Rigby tries to kill herself and when she is unsuccessful she leaves her husband and the two begin separate journeys of discovery. The joy in the Him & Her versions is seeing the different ways the two people experience the same event. Rigby and Ludlow both disappear from each other's narratives for long periods of time posing questions about certain events, questions that get answered when you watch whichever of the two movies you choose to watch first. There's also a handful of scenes that are the same in both stories but the tone and information conveyed is different, showing how people can interpret things differently. All the joy of this is wiped out of the Them version in which everything plays chronologically and we don't get multiple versions of the same scenes. It's an okay movie, but it will leave you wondering what the fuss is all about.

gradyharp Ned Benson both wrote and directed this little quiet film – an amalgamation of two separate films 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Her' and 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Him'. Each premiered in 2013 as two films at the Toronto Film Festival. After the premiere, although it received rave reviews, Ned Benson started cutting the movie again, as a one feature. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. All three movies received a theatrical release. The story is elusive, dealing with internal issues as to why a happy marriage dissolves. Perhaps (and this is not said outright) the marriage crumbled with the death of their little boy (no details of when or how are given, just obtuse references), but what ever the reason, the summary sates a woman and man seemingly so in love finds their marriage is shaken to the core when life throws them a devastating curve. Now this New York couple must try to understand each other as they cope with loss and attempt to reclaim the life and love they once had.The cast is loaded with stars – Eleanor Rigby is beautifully off center as played by Jessica Chastain and she is matched by her husband Conor played by James McAvoy. But the supporting cast (all in very small roles) offers Eleanor's parents portrayed by Isabelle Huppert (who has some of the best lines - 'I didn't know I could retrieve all the opportunities I threw away then.' - and William Hurt, Conor's father by Ciarán Hinds, Viola Davis as a snarky professor, Ryan Eggold as a would-be paramour for Eleanor, Jess Weixler as Eleanor's sister, and Nina Arianda as Conor's paramour, and more.The story is fragile and perhaps too much so, as the line of relating the tale runs into alleyways of nothing too frequently. It is as though a very fine editor could have tightened this up and made it stronger. Certainly as far as a cast is concerned it is top drawer: it just drags around far too slowly to stay very interested. The DVD comes with a second disc for the 'Her' and 'Him' version, but after over two hours of 'Them', viewing that may merit watching on another evening. Very mixed feelings.

M MALIK Are these people at Hollywood playing a biggest joke or is it a part of some trap like a heist or something just for the sake of robbing cash from the people in the audience making a fool out of them by inserting fake Oscar winning actors no story and proper narrative little sex and slow pace on purpose only to satisfy critics and win more Oscars the cycle keeps on going it never stops.OK enough of my rant above here is what makes me really mad it is films like these that are totally unnecessary boring long stretched never ending sad tragic love or tragedy stories like these are releasing likes pieces of candy bars from vending machine,please stop it.Whatever the genre is the collective set of films are good only if the narrative needs the extension little variation in characters otherwise it is just another usual TV series a great example is the sunset trilogy of Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy something like that gives the viewer some entertainment and keeps them hooked but this so called film is pure embarrassing.The disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is divided into three parts him,her & them released in 2013 & 2014 respectively i have not seen him and her but i checked this out and wow i was kicking myself i mean what a waste of good money i could have given it to some needy person instead.The Cast:first of all what the hell was James McAvoy doing here the whole time his expressions were like "not interested" in this lame script,Jessica Chastian who is also one of the producers of this she looks drunk in every scene what type of sleepy acting is this may i ask must be something that even Al Pacino would watch and say wow this lady has surpassed us but of course in sarcasm.The Plot:is there a plot in this film hell no it is just about a couple going through difficult times but keep on behaving like idiots they are trying too hard to get back with each other knowing the relationship wont work anymore.Connor is useless guy who hangs out at bars and roads and Eleanor is a worthless student argues with her teacher both these fools never listen to any advice from anyone at all.What a stupid and most pointless film this was what ever that perspective angle storyline of Eleanor by herself & by Connor was the chemistry never works out why bother.The title is wrong too she never disappears not physically but from Connor's life.to understand what was this subject about one does not simply(quoting Boromir from Lotr)have to see all 3 films this one is haunting me already.This film is quite disturbing can cause some serious brain damage i am warning people not to fall for the critics faked positive reviews this project is absurd and beyond ridiculous.Overall The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby:Them 2014 is a solid waste of time & money my rating is 1/10.Avoid it

glowinthedarkscars This review is for both the HIM and HER versions of the movie. please note this is just one guy's opinion.. My friend who I watched the movie with loved it.. unfortunately, I did not have the same experience.THE GOOD: 1. The acting, except for Jessica Chastain's performance, is good and all of the actors did their jobs well considering the script. Jess Weixler as the sister did exceptionally well for such a small part. She carried all the scenes in which she appears. 2. Sound and editing. I could hear and understand all of the dialog spoken. The transitions between scenes and the flow of the storytelling felt very natural. THE BAD: 1. The story & dialog felt very contrived & pretentious. A couple deals with the death of their infant son and their relationship breaks down afterward. This is the root of the story but the way these characters deal with such a tragedy is what I found to be so contrived.For example: James McAvoy's Character Conor has a pet goldfish "Ralph" and it dies when his Dad accidentally overfeeds or feeds it the wrong food. The two men have a "heart to heart" talk during a walk to the river to dispose of Ralph's corpse, which is in a little cardboard box, by throwing it in the river. seriously, who would do that? would you do that?another example is a scene where the two main characters are sitting on the sidewalk having a normal discussion about their relationship troubles which is only very odd considering the circumstances that one of them just got hit by a car and The Rescue personal which is clearly there for the whole discussion appear to be just standing around off screen waiting for them to finish the conversation before they load him into the ambulance.There are many more moments like these and it may seem trivia and unimportant to some but for me it is this lack of attention to details that break the story. 2. The cinema photography is too dark in quite a few scenes and the soft blue color correction tint used is an interesting choice and will probably not be a problem for most people but i found it distracting. It took me out of the movie viewing experience just by the fact that I noticed it. 3. Jessica Chastain.. Her acting or her character in this movie rubbed me the wrong way.. i found it wooden. She was unable to emote in a believable manner.. I did not like or sympathize with her character at all but i am not sure whether it is her performance or the way her character is written.. maybe we are not suppose to like her and the fact that her character has difficulty expressing emotion could be intentional.. if so mission accomplished.4.The relationship between the two main characters is strange from the beginning and why in the world the main guy would want to stay with a such a flaky, cold and emotional distant person is beyond me.I watched both movies back to back. The HIM version first and then HER. I liked HIM better than HER but overall hated THEM both. Mediocrity at its best and a complete waste of time unless you are a film maker or screenwriter looking to learn from someone else's mistakes.side note: I recommend watching THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988) instead which also stars William Hurt and contains the very same subject matter of a couple that deals with the loss of their son and the break-up of their marriage.