Just perfect...

As Good As It Gets

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I really wanted to like this because of the cast and locale. Pros: - Wellington and sets are absolutely beautiful. - Mostly good performances - Great gags. At times you will laugh out loud. - The tone is set early for real-lifelike imperfect marriages among 30-somethings.Cons: - Uncomfortable and noticeable male bias in the storytelling. Male bias is of course not a problem in itself, but this feels dated and out of place. - Nearly every important character is downright unlikeable and not relatable, in particular the adulterous leads (a housewife's close friend and the housewife's husband who somehow blames her because he can't keep it up without medicinal assist). Even cheaters in films should be able to elicit some degree of sympathy from the audience. I almost hoped the cheaters would somehow get struck by lightning while together. But as satisfying as that might've been it wouldn't have been very realistic. :-/

One of the few romance/comedy-dramas where I could empathise with the protagonist, Separation City delivers an interesting and surprisingly realistic view on love, romance and life in general. That's not to say that I haven't heard it all before, however it was delivered in a frank yet not "in your face" manner, making this movie stand out from dozens of other films on this subject. Having said that, the movie really suffers from lazy directing. It also doesn't help that being a New Zealand movie they had to cast at least one New Zealand lead, and with all due respect to Danielle Cormack, she was out of her depth here, particularly when surrounded by the ever brilliant Thomas Kretschmann, as well as Rhona Mitra and Joel Edgerton. The scene at the beach towards the end of the film really exposes her weakness as an actress, although part of the blame lies with the surprisingly weak dialogue in that scene, which was not characteristic of this movie, I must add. 3 comments about this movie can help me illustrate my frustration with it:1) The narration. Overly elaborate, at pains to explain every little nuance, every feeling, it felt as if the director didn't trust the actors to deliver the message through their acting. I wonder if they ever tried screening it without the narration just to see if the movie holds up on its own, because I'd bet it would. 2) Lazy directing. (here be spoilers). An example of this is Klaus painting a pohutakawa tree back in his apartment in Berlin, with Katrien's voice-over telling us that he is painting landscapes of the distant shores. Wouldn't it be better to embed a flourishing pohutakawa somewhere in the movie so that once back in Berlin and painting it, the viewer would recognise it and understand Klaus is painting a New Zealand landscape? (spoilers END) 3) Why was Mike Minogue (Errol the Fireman) in this film and what did his character contribute is beyond me.Overall not a bad effort, I definitely agree with the message it conveys, but I do hope they release a director's cut version with no narration or at least significantly reduce the amount of it.7/10

At last a New Zealand film about real people in real situations. This film is written by Tom Scott a political journalist and one of New Zealand's best loved satirical cartoonists. His own real life experiences are evident throughout the film as the characters move from one hilarious situation to another. Set mainly in Wellington, New Zealand's capital and home of parliament, it shows the beauty of Wellington and the real New Zealand character. The actors are very believable and so funny that I was laughing out loud in the theater. My only complaint was that it wasn't longer. This is a great film about friends and the frailty of familiarity. It has great insight and will touch all who see it. My suggestion. Just get out and see it.

Separation City is a well-crafted story from Tom Scott, script writer and Kiwi cartoonist. The acting from leads Joel Edgerton, Danielle Cormack and Rhona Mitra is convincingly nuanced, complemented by a number of fine supporting roles. Simon (Edgerton) and Pam (Cormack)'s marriage has become largely functional under the pressures of raising children plus the demands and long hours of his job in a government minister's office. Cellist Katrien (Mitra) and artist Klaus (Thomas Kretschmann)'s relationship on the other hand has been rendered dysfunctional by his straying attentions. The story has a distinctive New Zealand setting, with a universal appeal as a gentle skewering of the highs and lows of marriage and relationships, leavened with Scott's trademark humour.