Joey Magidson
Edward Burns has long been a filmmaker I enjoy. His low-key and scrappy vibe served him very well as an up and coming storyteller. It doesn’t hurt that I found him to be a charismatic actor, too. So, I was very intrigued to see Millers in Marriage, which sees him trying the sort of indie movie that was getting made right as he was breaking through. Unfortunately, while I think it works in fits and starts, it ends up feeling far more generic and traditional than you’d expect from Burns. So, it’s sadly one of the more forgettable titles at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Millers in Marriage does manage to have a unique structure to it, and that livens things up, but it ultimately is repetitive and dour in a way I don’t think Burns intended. At a certain point, you’re just watching the same bits of sadness again and again. I was invested early on, but by the time the credits rolled, I was ready for it to be over.
A portrait of three unhappy siblings, we have Eve (Gretchen Mol), Maggie (Julianna Margulies), and Andy (Burns). Once upon a time, Eve was a rock star, making for a power couple with Scott (Patrick Wilson). When she became a mother and stopped playing music, he kept it up, as well as increased his drinking. They bicker often, but when a music critic (Benjamin Bratt) enters their lives, a new possibility emerges. Her sister Maggie is also frustrated by her husband. She and Nick (Campbell Scott) also share the same profession as novelists, though only one is struggling with writer’s block, which drives a bigger and bigger wedge between them.
As for Andy, he’s beginning a new relationship with Renee (Minnie Driver) that seems to be going well. Of course, no sooner does his ex Tina (Morena Baccarin) hear about it does she come back looking to claim her old territory. He rebuffs her at first, but the more she pushes and the more he denies it to Renee, the more he considers his past with Tina.
The cast plays these roles very well, but it’s one sad-sack after the next, which eventually wears you down. Julianna Margulies and Gretchen Mol get the lion’s share of the screen time, so they naturally have our sympathies. Their spouses, Patrick Wilson and Campbell Scott, respectively, are made more one-note, so the deck is stacked against them. Still, they hit the right beats. Ed Burns himself is solid as always, while Minnie Driver is solid, though we don’t get enough with Morena Baccarin. Benjamin Bratt feels mostly like a writer’s device, but it’s nice to see him pop up here. Other members of the cast here include Brian d’Arcy James, Elizabeth Masucci, and more.
Filmmaker Edward Burns has one trick up his sleeve that I do like, and that’s to instantly flash back whenever a character brings up the past. It’s clever and well done, though it’s used a lot, so the effectiveness does eventually wane. It’s a showcase to him trying something new as a director and a writer, though at the same time, this is his cleanest looking flick, and it takes some of his edge off. It ends up being antiseptic in a way that keeps you from fully engaging with all of the human drama at play.
Millers in Marriage isn’t a bad film, but it has the makings of something better. It’s the sort of flick that TIFF unfortunately chews up and spits out. I think it’s an interesting misfire for how it sees Burns playing with structure, but I do wish he’d get back to his roots more. He still has something to say, that’s for sure.
SCORE: ★★1/2
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