Love is Strange

I always find movies set in Manhattan a refreshing change from movies set in the rest of the US, which almost always involve people living in large fenceless two-storey  homes set well back from the leafy streets they're in, with some large shiny vehicles parked in the driveway. In Manhattan space is at a premium, so people live in apartments. That lack of space is a major driver of the narrative in Love is Strange.

The protagonists of Love is Strange are a gay couple ( Beplayed by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina) who have been together almost forty years .It's hard not to think of John Lithgow as Dick Solomon from Third Rock from the Sun and he maintains that larger than life presence in this film. As his husband,  Alfred Molina provides a low-key contrast.  Ben (John Lithgow) is retired and George teaches music at a catholic school, and has some private pupils. When he's fired from his school job they can't afford the mortgage on their apartment, so are forced to bunk down (separately) with relatives. The movie examines the effect that this has on their relationship with each other and with their relatives. It's gently humourous and an easy watch.

Anne's Rating 3/5