Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives, is witty and fresh, though it was made in 1992. It's fresher than his recent films that I've seen (N.B. I haven't yet seen Midnight in Paris, and many have said that's good.) With a great cast including Judy Davis, Sydney Pollack, Mia Farrow, Liam Nielsen, Juliette Lewis and Allen, Husbands and Wives begins with Allen's two friends announcing they're divorcing after 15 years. As the plot develops, all the characters question marriage, their wants and needs, their partner's personalities and ticks, with various degrees of accuracy as the bungle along searching for authentic relationships. Allen plays a writing teacher who, surprise, surprise, falls for the most promising student in his college writing class.
Rather than dealing with the beginning of a romance, this film chronicles the end of two marriages, I won't reveal who reunites and who doesn't. This is part of life and should be explored intelligently in film. I think because Allen's able to show the couples being so real and open with each other, it's all the more sad that the relationships fail.
The film was absorbing so it wasn't till the end, where thoughts of Allen's own choices in his marriage with Farrow, diverted my attention. Guess that's bound to happen. Still it's a well acted film with a natural plot rhythm (i.e. not glaringly influenced by Syd Field et al's formula). This film stands the sands of time.
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