Ira & Abby (2006) or, Marriage Never Works

8/15/2018

Ira & Abby (2006) or, Marriage Never Works

♥

+ 2nd Worst Movie of the Year

A not very informative nor aesthetically pleasing or memorable poster for Robert Cary's Ira & Abby

Ira leaves a stranded relationship and his many years of fruitless therapy, as he starts a new, impulsive relationship to the very different Abby, and the two decide to get married quickly. - Too quickly.

Ira & Abby is written by Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)), who also plays Abby in the film, and directed by Robert Cary (Anything But Love (2002)). It is a very bad example of a quirky New-Yorker indie movie of crossing fates, - a type of movie that has masterpiece examples such as Woody Allen's Anything Else (2003) and Raymond De Felitta's City Island (2009). This one isn't funny, romantic or compelling dramatically. Mostly it serves as a reminder for us as to why it is that we don't live in New York, whose therapy-padded, infantile adults are the subjects of Ira & Abby.
Supporting actors Frances Conroy (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-13)) and Fred Willard (Everybody Hates Chris (2009), TV-series) are sympathetic here, but also they have, - just like everyone else in this film, - a hopeless marriage.
Ira & Abby is a downright marriage-hating film, which is hard to enjoy at all for us who don't share this opinion. This doesn't mean that it doesn't also strike on an odd truth or two, but it doesn't really help it, since it is both boring, uncinematic and depressing, while it does so.

Related posts:

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

The 2000s in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Here's a video of Westfeldt and Jon Hamm, who also has a small role in Ira & Abby, who talk about their relationship, (they were together for 18 years before splitting up in 2017), and their movie together, Friends with Kids (2011)

Cost: Estimated 3.5 mil. $
Box office: 563k $
= Box office disaster (returned 0.16 times the cost)
[Ira & Abby premiered 23 June (Los Angeles Film Festival, California) and runs 104 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The film opened #57 in 7 theaters to a 36k $ first weekend in North America, where it never attained a higher position although it widened to 20 cinemas, grossing 211k $ (37.5 % of the total gross). This was the film's 2nd biggest market. The biggest was Mexico with 244k $ (43.3 %), and the 3rd biggest was Central America with 54k $ (9.6 %). The film was only released in 5 markets. Cary returned with Save Me (2007), his last directorial effort to date. Westfeldt returned in 5 TV-series and a TV movie in the following years and theatrically in Friends with Kids (2011). Chris Messina (The Newsroom (2012-14)) returned in Medium (2007, TV-series), Security (2007, short) and theatrically in Towelhead (2007). Ira & Abby is fresh at 67 % with a 6.1/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ira & Abby?

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

Louise Fletcher has passed away

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Jean-Luc Godard has passed away

Born in Paris, France, Godard lived much of his life in Switzerland. He wrote for French film criticism magazine Cahiers du Cinema and became foundational for the New French Wave that inspired new waves in scores of other countries across the world with his Breathless (1960). Later credits include A Woman Is A Woman (1961), Vivre Sa Vie (1962), Le Petit Soldat (1962), Contempt (1963), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le Fou (1965), 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967), Weekend (1967), Every Man for Himself (1980), King Lear (1987), Century of Cinema (1995, documentary), Goodbye to Language (2014) and many more. Godard died of assisted suicide at age 91. R.I.P.

Wolfgang Petersen has died

James Caan has died

Caan was born the son of Jewish immigrants from Germany in New York. He got his start on TV in the early 1960s. His credits include El Dorado (1966), The Rain People (1969), Brian's Song (1971, TV movie), The Godfather (1972), - for which he earned his only Oscar nomination, - Slither (1973), The Gambler (1974), Funny Lady (1975), Rollerball (1975), Silent Movie (1976), Hide in Plain Sight (1980), - the only film he also directed, - Thief (1981), Misery (1990), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Bottle Rocket (1996), Eraser (1996), Dogville (2003), Elf (2003), Las Vegas (2003-07), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and many more. Caan passed away at age 82. R.I.P.

Jean-Louis Trintignant has died

Born in Vaucluse, France, Trintignant's theatrical debut as an actor was in If All the Guys in the World... (1955). Later credits include ...And God Created Woman (1956), The Seven Deadly Sins (1961), Inferno (1964), A Man and A Woman (1966), My Love, My Love (1967), A Man to Kill (1967), The Great Silence (1968), Z (1969), The Assassination (1972), Three Colors: Red (1994), Amour (2012), Happy End (2017) and many more. He also wrote and directed two films in the 1970s. Trintignant passed away at age 91. R.I.P.

Ray Liotta has died

Adopted from an orphenage at a young age, Liotta got hooked on acting in high school. He had various TV credits in the late 1970s and early 80s, with his film debut in The Lonely Lady (1983). Later credits include Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Cop Land (1997), Hannibal (2001), Blow (2001), Narc (2002), John Q (2002), Identity (2003), Observe and Report (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009), The Details (2011), Killing THem Softly (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Shades of Blue (2016-18), The Simpsons (2018, TV-series), Marriage Story (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Black Bird (2022, TV-series) and many more. Liotta passed away at age 67 in his sleep while on production in the Dominican Republic. R.I.P.

Philip Baker Hall has died

Born in Ohio, Hall didn't start acting until he was 30. His long list of credits include Zabriskie Point (1970), Miami Vice (1987, TV-series), Midnight Run (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Cheers (1993, TV-series), Hard Eight (1996), The Rock (1996), Air Force One (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Seinfeld (1991-98), Rush Hour (1998), The Insider (1999), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), Dogville (2003), The Zodiac (2005), Zodiac (2007), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004-09), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Modern Family (2011-12) and many more. Hall passed away at age 90. R.I.P.

William Hurt has passed away

Born in Washington D.C., Hurt's first film role was the lead in Altered States (1980). Later credits include Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), for which he earned his only Oscar as Best Actor; Chilrdren of a Lesser God (1986), for which he was also Oscar-nominated; Broadcast News (1987), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; Smoke (1995), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), A History of Violence (2005), for which he was again Oscar-nominated; The Good Shepherd (2006), Into the Wild (2007), Robin Hood (2010) and many more. Hurt passed away at age 71. R.I.P.

Ivan Reitman has passed away

Born in Chechoslovakia, now Slovakia, Reitman's family fled the Soviet regime to Austria, then Toronto, when he was 4 years old. Reitman broke into movies as a director with Foxy Lady (1971). Later credits include Cannibal Girls (1973), Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Junior (1994), Father's Day (1997), Evolution (1998), No Strings Attached (2011), Draft Day (2014) and more. Reitman's son Jason Reitman is also a great filmmaker. Reitman passed away at age 75. R.I.P.

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (5-24)

8/15/2018