Separate Lies

Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: September 16, 2005

6.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

USER RATING DISTRIBUTION

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Review this movie

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.

Check box if your review contains spoilers

0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User score By date Most helpful

MarkB.Oct 24, 2005

Screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who gingerly but sardonically peeled the lid off uppercrust indiscretions and worse in Gosford Park, does so again on a much smaller scale here. In telling the tale of two extramarital lovers who get involved in Screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who gingerly but sardonically peeled the lid off uppercrust indiscretions and worse in Gosford Park, does so again on a much smaller scale here. In telling the tale of two extramarital lovers who get involved in a hit-and-run accident, and the cuckolded spouse who participates in the coverup, Fellowes in his directing debut is clearly not Gosford's Robert Altman, which you probably knew going in; even at 85 minutes, the pacing gets noticeably draggy. More problematic is that despite the three leads, Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty, In The Bedroom), Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Red Dragon) and Rupert Everett (Another Country, My Best Friend's Wedding), all being outstanding actors who absolutely never disappoint (and Watson deserves special praise here because, owing to her integrity in portraying such a despicable individual, this is the first film I've ever seen her in that I didn't fall absolutely in love with her--now that's a major acting accomplishment!) the movie is frequently a singularly frustrating experience because their characters are either callous jerks or spineless wimps. I still haven't decided what's more annoying--the fact that two-thirds of the triangle repeatedly treat the third so callously or that the third side endlessly lets them; the result (with one gratifying but only momentary exception) is a film that plays like a strangely genteel piece of S&M. Of course, this has much to do with the characters, setting and filmmaker being so bloody civilized and British, and I amused myself throughout the picture by envisioning the same material, minus the profanities and the Jerry Springer joke, transported to our side of the ocean and filmed in black and white, playing more satisfyingly as a 1945 film noir starring Edward G. Robinson and Barbara Stanwyck...at least until the third act, when it weirdly morphs into a gender-twisted version of a 1932 two-handkerchief tale of marital sacrifice (final shot and all) starring...Edward G. Robinson and Barbara Stanwyck!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

SHFBDec 5, 2005

I was hoping to like this film more than I did because I love Watson and Wilkinson. But I found it rather uninteresting and uninspired and contrived. The best thing about it is the way it captured the cold dreariness of the English seaside I was hoping to like this film more than I did because I love Watson and Wilkinson. But I found it rather uninteresting and uninspired and contrived. The best thing about it is the way it captured the cold dreariness of the English seaside town during the off-season - that was truly brilliant! But the rest of the movie was rather pedestrian. Watson's character was particularly spineless and annoying (although I loved the chopping vegetables scene. That was perfect).… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

DawdlingPoetAug 4, 2022

This is a pretty average thriller about upper class people (the fact its co-written and directed by Julian Fellowes of 'Downtown Abbey' fame was a bit of a give away). I wasn't too bothered about the characters and didn't find the story tooThis is a pretty average thriller about upper class people (the fact its co-written and directed by Julian Fellowes of 'Downtown Abbey' fame was a bit of a give away). I wasn't too bothered about the characters and didn't find the story too engaging, though I did think Emily Watson gave a good performance. At first I thought I'd guessed the outcome and felt quite clever but I'm not sure it's as simple as I'd assumed. I didn't feel entirely bothered to follow all the sub plots. It comes across a bit like an extended drama show, only without much to compel me to want to find out what happens in the end really, so its not great and I certainly wouldn't actively recommend it, no.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews