Scenes From A Marriage

This is a full-on remake that retains much of the basic framework of Bergman’s masterpiece and carries an emotional punch that’s nearly as powerful. Old Juilliard pals Chastain and Isaac, who teamed up so memorably in the 2014 crime noir “A Most Violent Year,” deliver a master class in tandem acting that’s as good as anything I’ve seen on any platform in 2021.

This new HBO version is intimate, intense, equally painful, and hard to watch at times.

It is not easy to watch, and you won’t want to do more than one episode at a time. ... Their [Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain's] performances earn Scenes from a Marriage its place at the table.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac give masterclass performances and deliver crackling, wounding dialogue faultlessly as the marriage starts to bleed out. If you like intense, claustrophobic drama, it's here.

Nothing here, be it questions or attempted answers, is new. Too much has been said about every aspect of modern marriage and its breakdowns – not least, of course, as a result of Bergman’s groundbreaker – over the last few decades for that to be the goal any more. But they are rarely explored with such style, truth or credibility.

Nevertheless, like a loving gesture that a relationship's long years transform from a heated compulsion into a reflex, there are times in which this adaptation feels as if it's going through the motions, albeit very prettily. ... Just because a story is familiar doesn't make it worthless, of course. Watching Isaac and Chastain impressively tango, spar, and exchange carefully choreographed fireworks displays is enough of a reason to take in "Scenes From a Marriage."

This is basically a two-hander. Fortunately, and not surprisingly, the two stars make this thing live. They are each completely dialed-in and totally believable as a couple with a vast, un-erasable history whose weight can be felt in the spaces between them.

One does not come to "Scenes From A Marriage" for plot, much of which is absurd. One comes for the acting, which is largely superb. ... Our sympathies have been upended, and the questions left in the wake of it all make for a viewing that's provocative, if sometimes dire.

Scenes From a Marriage might be an unnecessary update, but when it’s at its best, Chastain and Isaac make it feel essential.

There’s no question that Bergman’s version is the superior, tougher and ultimately fairer-minded achievement. But this version showcases two actors doing some of their cleanest, truest work on screen to date.

“Scenes From a Marriage” luxuriates in its discord over five hours of give and take. Its realism is bracing, and rarely easy to watch. The truth rarely is. And if it doesn’t measure up to Bergman, what does?

As a whole, “Scenes from a Marriage” doesn’t always match the intensity of Chastain’s and Isaac’s performances. But when they burn white-hot, it’s difficult to look away.

Chastain and Isaac are the last performers to need a director’s flourishes to enhance their roles.

If Scenes from a Marriage has a saving grace, it’s the dynamic duo of Chastain and Isaac who are far and away the best part of this project. ... It’s a master class that deserves recognition, and both actors reach the depth required to sell the dialogue. I just wish the material was worthy of their talents.

The work Chastain and Isaac do here is pretty spectacular, in both the showy moments where Mira or Jonathan is going for the throat and in the subtler ones where they’re just recoiling from the latest verbal grenade their partner has tossed. ... [The] third episode was among the best hours of TV I’ve seen all year, and left me wondering if I had judged the whole endeavor too harshly to that point. But then the remaining two episodes brought a more familiar blend of moments that inspired awe, right next to ones that inspired eye-rolls.

HBO’s “Scenes From a Marriage” is curious to watch in contrast to Bergman’s original, just as it’s tender craft and measured performances make it easy to admire. But for anyone who’s toughed out any of the difficult character studies that already succeeded the 1973 classic, this latest iteration may not be worth the heartache.

Updated to the 21st century, Scenes From A Marriage ran aground on the leads’ striking lack of chemistry. An inertness hung in the air between Chastain and Isaac, which made it hard to buy into the idea they had ever been happily married in the first place.

Lacking the humanity of Bergman’s version, the dispassionate tone of Scenes From A Marriage doesn’t move you but it’s worth staying with for spectacular performances from Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac.

HBO’s new spin on the story is so gorgeously acted, though, you can’t stop thinking about the theatrics of it. The very thing that will hook you — Isaac and Chastain’s full-throttle performances — might also take you out of it.

I found myself repeatedly impressed by the craft and technique’s sheer blunt-force impressiveness, yet awkwardly, even guiltily, unmoved.

But because the series repurposes so much from Bergman, it would be impossible not to measure it against the original and find the new version somewhat lacking. The performances, as crucial here as they would be in a Shakespeare adaptation, are solid. ... It’s a better-than-average TV show adapted from a masterpiece that you can still watch in the comfort of your all-too-delicately constructed home.

Claustrophobic and intense, the format provides a strong actor's showcase for Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac but a less satisfying experience for viewers.

It’s all well observed and exquisitely acted, yet this "Scenes" seems to have defied Tolstoy by finding an unhappy family that is unhappy in a very familiar way. ... If you have [seen the original series], this "Scenes" feels less like a reimagining than like a highbrow stage revival — movie stars spending a few weeks doing Ibsen at a summer theater fest. ... Of course, "Look at these talented stars in this classy production" has been a successful draw before. Whether it’s enough for you may determine whether you call it a wrap before "Scenes From a Marriage" does.

The high-emotion sparring between stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain is spectacular and provides some reason for viewers to invest in this stressful series. ... The strangest thing is that Levi seems to be completely aware that he’s remaking this property in the least interesting way possible.