Love Is Strange
Film poster
Directed byIra Sachs
Written byIra Sachs
Mauricio Zacharias
Produced byLucas Joaquin
Lars Knudsen
Ira Sachs
Jayne Baron Sherman
Jay Van Hoy
StarringAlfred Molina
John Lithgow
Darren Burrows
Charlie Tahan
Cheyenne Jackson
Manny Pérez
Marisa Tomei
CinematographyChristos Voudouris
Edited byAffonso Gonçalves
Michael Taylor
Production
company
Parts & Labor[1]
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release dates
  • January 18, 2014 (2014-01-18) (Sundance)
  • August 22, 2014 (2014-08-22)
Running time
94 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguagesEnglish
Russian
Box office$2.2 million[3]

Love Is Strange is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Ira Sachs. The film had its premiere in the non-Competition programme of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[4][5] The film was also screened in the Panorama section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[6][7]

Plot

Ben and George, a same-sex couple from Manhattan, get married after 39 years together. George is a Catholic school music teacher, and when word of the marriage reaches the archdiocese, he is fired. Without his salary, the couple can no longer afford their New York apartment and are forced to ask their friends and family for shelter, resulting in their separation. Ben stays in Brooklyn with his nephew Elliot, Elliot's novelist wife Kate, and their teenage son Joey, while George bunks with their (now former) neighbors, a younger same-sex couple of two party-loving NYPD cops, Roberto and Ted. Still partnered but missing each other, Ben and George find ways to spend time together, as all parties involved deal with the happenstance of an additional person living in a space designed for fewer people. Elliot, Kate, Joey, Roberto and Ted decide how much they want to involve themselves in the lives of Ben and George, and vice versa.[8][9]

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Love Is Strange received universal critical acclaim. The film has a "Certified Fresh" score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 176 reviews, with an average rating of 7.73/10. The critical consensus states: "Held aloft by remarkable performances from John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, Love Is Strange serves as a graceful tribute to the beauty of commitment in the face of adversity."[10] The film also has a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 42 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]

Keith Uhlich of The A.V. Club named Love Is Strange the best film of 2014.[12]

Accolades

Award Category Recipients and nominees Result
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association[13] Best Supporting Actor Alfred Molina Nominated
Gotham Awards[14] Best Feature Love Is Strange Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards[15] Best Film Love Is Strange Nominated
Best Male Lead John Lithgow Nominated
Best Screenplay Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias Nominated
Best Supporting Male Alfred Molina Nominated
Satellite Awards[16] Best Film Love is Strange Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle[17] Best Male Images in Movies Love is Strange Won

References

  1. ^ a b "Love Is Strange". Screen Daily. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Love Is Strange (15)". Altitude Film Distribution. British Board of Film Classification. July 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  3. ^ "Love Is Strange". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  4. ^ "Sundance 2014: Premieres". January 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  5. ^ "Premieres". sundance.org. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "Panorama 2014: Selection of Fictional Features for Main Programme and Panorama Special Now Complete". berlinale. Archived from the original on January 20, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  7. ^ "Love Is Strange". berlinale. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "Alonso Duralde at Sundance: Gay Marriage Comes to Utah, and Michael Fassbender Gets a Head" Archived March 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. The Wrap, January 19, 2014.
  9. ^ Van Hoeij, Boyd. "Love Is Strange: Sundance Review" Archived September 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, The Hollywood Reporter, January 18, 2014
  10. ^ "Love Is Strange (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. August 22, 2014. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Love Is Strange Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  12. ^ "2014 Favorites With Keith Uhlich (Part 2)". The Cinephiliacs. January 8, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Whale, Chase (December 15, 2014). "DFW Film Critics name 'Birdman' as top film of 2014". Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  14. ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 23, 2014). "2014 Gotham Award Nominations Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 30, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  15. ^ Patches, Matt (November 25, 2014). "'Birdman,' 'Boyhood,' 'Selma' lead the 2015 Independent Spirit Awards Nominations". HitFix. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  16. ^ "Current nominees". International Press Academy. December 2014. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  17. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (December 22, 2014). "'Still Alice' cleans up at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards". HitFix. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2015.

External links

Films directed by Ira Sachs
AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Grownup Love Story
Categories