ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

JOAQUIN PHOENIX has told the world that Two Lovers marks his last screen performance. Whether anyone believes him is an entirely different matter, especially after his increasingly eccentric behaviour in a new career as an aspiring rapper.

If this maudlin romance is Phoenix’s screen swansong, then it is a welcome reminder of why he has been hailed as one of the most compelling actors of his generation.

Phoenix is the best thing about Two Lovers. He plays Leonard, a shy, boyish charmer who is also desperately lonely. His life is defined by a broken engagement and two suicide attempts. His see-sawing emotions leave him permanently ill at ease with the world.

Phoenix’s subtle, understated performance makes him a sympathetic character even as you suspect he will never experience the uncomplicated happiness he craves.

Returning to the family home in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, Leonard is nudged towards Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of a businessman intent on buying his family’s dry cleaning business. Sandra is all sweetness and saintly patience although her tolerance of Leonard’s broken dates and unreturned calls tests credibility.

Leonard’s attention is now focused on his new neighbour Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a woman who seems as fragile and damaged as Leonard himself.

A polished, old-fashioned drama, Two Lovers tries and fails to match the depth and intensity of American cinema from the 1970s. Unfortunately, the characters never seem fully rounded, and some of the plot developments are drearily predictable.

The result is a film that leaves the viewer feeling distinctly underwhelmed but thankful for a charismatic performance from Phoenix that keeps you engaged even as the story drifts towards a bittersweet conclusion.

Nationwide release

Director: James Gray
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas
Screenwriters: James Gray, Richard Menello
Certificate: 15
Running time: 110 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2008