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Movies / In Cinemas / The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

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The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:5

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.1/10

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.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, brief nudity, some drug material and language

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

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... 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 two grown children, and a trusted friend and confidant to all who cross her path. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staidConnecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test.

In truth, looks are deceiving, and this picture-perfect woman has seen more than her fair share of turmoil in her youth. Embarking on a bittersweet journey of self-discovery, accompanied by a new, strange and soulful acquaintance (KEANU REEVES), Pippa must now confront both her volatile past and the hidden resentment of her seemingly perfect life in order to find her true sense of self.

By turns wry, humorous, and moving, THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name.

Golden Globe nominee Robin Wright Penn and Academy Award® winner, Alan Arkin head an all-star cast that includes Blake Lively as the young Pippa Lee, Maria Bello as her mother, Suky Sarkissian, Keanu Reeves as Pippa’s inscrutable neighbor, Chris Nadeau, Monica Bellucci as the socialite Gigi Lee, triple Academy Award® nominee Julianne Moore as the freewheeling Kat, Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe winner Winona Ryder as Pippa’s trusted friend, Sandra Dulles, Mike Binder as novelist Sam Shapiro and rising stars Zoe Kazan and Ryan as Grace and Ben Lee, Pippa’s young adult children.

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE is adapted from writer-director Rebecca Miller’s novel of the same name. It is produced by Lemore Syvan from Elevation Filmworks, and Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B Entertainment. Executive producers are Winchester Capital, Jean-Luc De Fanti, and The Salt Company partners, Cyril Mégret, Robert Bevan and Samantha Horley. --© Screen Media [More]

Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Monica Bellucci

Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Monica Bellucci, Blake Lively, Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Mike Binder

Director: Rebecca Miller

Director: Rebecca Miller
Screenwriter: Rebecca Miller
Studio: Screen Media

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Reviews for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

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1 - 8 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Miller, who also scripted, takes a familiar premise but gives it life and originality, repeatedly thwarting expectations with quirky diversions and smart twists.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/10/09
Liz Beardsworth
Liz Beardsworth
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

On a scene-by-scene basis, though, it’s classily effective, mainly because of Wright Penn’s skill in nailing the precise tenor of every moment.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/10/09
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
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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.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/10/09
Hannah Forbes Black
Hannah Forbes Black
Channel 4 Film
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The lightly episodic script, the unfussy direction and the other heavyweight actors, Arkin especially, just about cover his tracks.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]
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A hugely overegged pudding of a film. It's an indulgent, complacent family comedy-drama.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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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.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
07/10/09
David Gritten
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pippa should be a career changer. Wright Penn's cards are finally on the table, and it looks like a full house.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
11/29/09
Mary F. Pols
Mary F. Pols
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pippa's crisis of guilt -- about troubled lives she couldn't fix and parts of her personality she rashly abandoned -- is ultimately swamped by Miller's own sketchy grasp of what's funny or heartbreaking or illuminating about her characters.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
11/29/09
Robert Abele
Robert Abele
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 8 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

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