Miller, who also scripted, takes a familiar premise but gives it life and originality, repeatedly thwarting expectations with quirky diversions and smart twists.
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
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
Reviews for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
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.
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.
The lightly episodic script, the unfussy direction and the other heavyweight actors, Arkin especially, just about cover his tracks.
A hugely overegged pudding of a film. It's an indulgent, complacent family comedy-drama.
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.
Pippa should be a career changer. Wright Penn's cards are finally on the table, and it looks like a full house.
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.
Latest News for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
November 24, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
This week at the movies, we've got martial arts mayhem (Ninja Assassin, starring Rain and Naomie Harris); family-friendly hi jinks (Old Dogs, starring John Travolta and Robin... More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| 30% 30% | The Twilight Saga: New… | £4.3M |
| 84% 84% | Paranormal Activity | £3.6M |
| 55% 55% | Disney's A Christmas C… | £1.9M |
| 38% 38% | 2012 | £1.8M |
| 25% 25% | Law Abiding Citizen | £1.5M |
| 48% 48% | Nativity! | £0.8M |
| 77% 77% | Harry Brown | £0.3M |
| 86% 86% | A Serious Man | £0.2M |
| | De Dana Dan | £0.3M |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

