Movie Review: Take This Waltz

Take This Waltz

Directed by Sarah Polley

Starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman

Rating: C+

            I had high hopes for this movie, but not everything in life turns out as we wish. I had trouble from the beginning believing in the attraction between Margot and the neighbor. There didn’t seem to be much chemistry between the two or any sort of personality bond. So, I was shaking my head during their few encounters wondering why she was so drawn to him. Margot had an odd hair-trigger personality in which she was fine and seemingly happy one moment and then crying the next. I didn’t understand her frustration with her husband because on the surface their relationship was strong and loving aside from the two being somewhat out of synch in terms of getting romantic. Margot was always looking for more, always looking to fill the gap. In the end, she was symbolically baking muffins again. It was a near repeat of the very first scene in the movie. Only this time she’s with another guy, but feeling the same. She thought exploring a relationship with the neighbor would fix the restlessness in her life, but after a while she ended up feeling alone again. At the end I understood more why she was so agitated with her husband. It’s like the story Margot first told to the neighbor about her niece crying and Margot searching for a reason. Margot wanted him to ask her what was wrong or if everything was okay and he never did.

            Aside from those plot points, there were some things I definitely did not like and thought were completely unnecessary in the movie. There was too much needless nudity. I don’t mind nudity and I feel it can sometimes further the story, however there is at least one example of a scene in this movie where the opposite happened. The director repeatedly showed naked women around a locker room shower and it had nothing to do with the story. There were also unnecessary sex scenes showing three-somes and such. It was important to show the viewer how happy Margot’s sex life had become, but I do not feel I needed to know how experimental she had gotten and the positions they tried.