This is a story about the man named Leonard, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, and his romantic relationships between two women whom he met almost at the same time. The character of Leonard is a troubled man who lives with his parents in Brooklyn.
The two women are named Michelle, portrayed by the alluring Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sandra, portrayed by Vinessa Shaw. He met Sandra after a big dinner with his family as a way to introduce him to her. His parents wanted to set them up because Sandra’s family would soon be buying the dry cleaning business of Leonard’s family. Michelle, on the other hand, is a woman who is quite as troubled as Leonard is but there’s just this chemistry between them that seems to burst almost instantly as his eyes met hers. She’s their new neighbour and in the story, slowly the deep secret of Michelle is discovered. She actually lives in a unit that a married man actually pays for and that adds more to the ensemble.
All in all, the movie is great. It’s a complex story that is beautifully filmed. Gwyneth is, as always, great in her portrayal and simply because it’s Gwyneth who portrayed the role adds more depth to the character. It’s a great breather to romantic drama movies as we haven’t seen something as deep as this for quite some time and it’s just great to find a gem of a movie once again.
