An offbeat yet delightful drama.
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07/10/09
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The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
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Reviews Counted:41
Fresh:31
Rotten:10
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Reverential and offbeat, the road trip film Private lives of Pippa Lee takes emotional detours and is elevated by great performances, particularly that of Robin Wright-Penn.
Theatrical Release:10-07-2009
Synopsis: From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN) leads a charmed existence. She is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (ALAN ARKIN) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of... [More]
Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Monica Bellucci
Director: Rebecca Miller
Reviews for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
It would have been better if Pippa had kept her life private.
07/10/09
This is not a film about finding easy answers, just brief, often tearful moments of redemption. Miller has performed an impressive emotional balancing act, and one that's often surprisingly funny.
07/10/09
With the drama swinging from moments of melancholic contemplation to outright hysteria, it's hard to tell if this is supposed to be funny, sad, poignant or glib.
07/10/09
A midlife crisis unfolds with all the hushed reverence of a visit to an art gallery in The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, a wry, engaging ensemble piece that feels like a throwback to Seventies films such as A Woman Under The Influence.
07/10/09
A weak central performance would have sunk this film, but Robin Wright Penn makes it work.
08/17/09
It's well-acted, sensitive, and a tad melodramatic in its lurch from one crisis to another, but you'd forgive it a lot more for Wright Penn's magnificent portrait of unaffected goodness.
07/10/09
It's all very slender stuff and very hard to care about the characters, most of whom whine rather than speak their lines. All in all, it's a life that should have stayed private.
07/10/09
Miller's film is a triumph. Uniformly well acted, it boasts a psychologically knowing script, clearly written by a smart, assertive human being rather than a software programme. As for the luminous Wright Penn, awards season beckons.
07/10/09
Top CriticThe Private Lives of Pippa Lee proves that The Ballad of Jack and Rose was no fluke and that Miller can produce work just as good as the best of recent American independent cinema.
07/10/09
It’s impossible to capture the complex whole of a person in one movie (or novel), but Miller uses this limitation to her advantage, by making the mystery of Pippa Lee’s true identity the heart of the film.
07/10/09
It's disappointing that a film that starts out explicitly stating its intentions to unpick an enigma ends up continually re-presenting us with a beautiful cipher.
07/10/09
Top CriticA quirky look at women, family and Keanu’s bod (still hot). Satisfyingly meatier than your standard chick flick.
07/10/09
The lightly episodic script, the unfussy direction and the other heavyweight actors, Arkin especially, just about cover his tracks.
07/10/09
Top CriticMiller, who also scripted, takes a familiar premise but gives it life and originality, repeatedly thwarting expectations with quirky diversions and smart twists.
07/10/09
Top CriticIt deserves to be appreciated for what it is - a smart and quirky tale that is also oddly upbeat.
07/10/09
If it’s an ultimately shallow journey, jagged humour and a few sharp tugs of emotion keep it rolling.
07/10/09
Enjoyable, emotionally engaging drama with a strong script and terrific performances from Robin Wright Penn and a note-perfect ensemble cast.
07/10/09
A brittle, sometimes funny study in fragmentation.
07/10/09
A hugely overegged pudding of a film. It's an indulgent, complacent family comedy-drama.
07/10/09
Top CriticLatest News for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
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