Romantic comedies today are as common as a rainy day in Seattle. But Bart Freundlich's Trust the Man certainly clears the skies to let the sun shine; it clearly stands out from the rest.
Set against the backdrop of Manhattan, the story deals with how two couples ride the tide of difficulties that come up in modern-day relationships: such as love, sex, and infidelity.
This ensemble performance stars Academy Award nominee Julliane Moore as Rebecca, who in the movie is a Hollywood actress who has made the leap from screen to stage. Her husband Tom (ex-X-Files star David Duchovny), has also made a career transition: from ad-exec to stay-at-home hubby who suffers from sex-addiction.
Tom's best friend and brother-in-law Tobey (Billy Crudup), bitten by the fear of death, is reluctant to officially commit and pop the question to his girlfriend of seven years, Elaine, (Maggie Gyllenhaal.)
Elaine, an aspiring novelist herself, has grown somewhat tired of Tobey's childlike charm and begins to wonder what a traditional white-picket-fence husband relationship would be like.
The film zooms into each relationship in isolation, thus introducing the characters and expanding on their friendship with each other, beginning with Tom and Rebecca speaking with their therapist about Tom's sex problem, and Tobey copping out of driving Elaine to work in an effort to keep his perfect parking spot.
This then branches off to the battle-of-the-sexes dialogues with Tom and Tobey, and Rebecca and Elaine discussing their problems with their spouses, and a list of other events such as Tobey's run-in with a recently married friend from college, Faith (Eva Mendes); Rebecca's struggle to hold her acting-career and family together, and Elaine's attempt to help Tobey grow up.
Writer/Director Bart Freundlich ( The Myth of Fingerprints ) separates himself from the traditional romantic comedies of the past in Trust the Man and gives the characters a sense a realism that a movie-goer would only see in a drama. But don't be mistaken: there is no doubt this is a comedy.
A smart, witty, and consistent comedic dialogue is weaved into each scene. It is laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish and the performances are solid all around.
Billy Crudup is hilarious to watch on screen, and David Duchovny is a deadpan delight. Despite the flaws or even crudeness in the two characters, you find yourself rooting for them to win back their women, and hoping that the wives will trust their men.
Rated R: Running time 101 minutes.
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