The title Ex-Husbands sets a melancholy tone that has a dramatic presence. The direction is subtle in this film and there is a sense that there is a mid-life crisis scenario at hand.
Ex-Husbands speaks for itself. The writing and directing is by Noah Pritzker who is just entering the game of directing full-length features. In Ex-Husbands, he pushes the limits of happiness encountering blockades.
The film focuses on Peter Pearce (played by Griffin Dunne), a middle-aged man going through a divorce with his wife Maria Pearce (played by Rosanna Arquette). His father Simon Pearce (played by Richard Benjamin) is very sick in a nursing home. The oldest son Nick Pearce (played by James Norton) is engaged but his relationship is also in a bad place. The youngest son Mickey Pearce is gay and struggles with moments of feeling closeted in his self-love journey. To escape the many dramas, Peter books a trip to Tulum.
Coincidentally, Nick’s bachelor party is in the same location. Peter has traveled to Tulum by himself, and Nick and Mickey are there to celebrate Nick’s engagement. With many moving parts that are mentally hard to take, Ex-Husbands becomes a place where reconciliation has a chance to overcome dramatic undertones.
When the film takes its audience to Tulum, the portrait painted is of happiness being harder than expected to achieve. With all the personal problems between Peter and his boys, the film’s pacing made me feel different given the various fragments in which some moments are upbeat and then others down. The real feelings are bound to take audiences on a ride of underlying sadness. Peter is not sure how to handle his mentally aggravating scenarios, and neither are his boys.
While Ex-Husbands creates thoughts of resentment, the characters slowly find common ground. This happens when Nick invites his father to some bachelor party festivities. They start to bond over sharing rough patches. There are unlikely connections at unexpected moments between Peter, Nick and Mickey. Nick’s problems correlate to the ones that he shares with his father despite being engaged. Their personality traits lead to dynamics that are spot on in Ex-Husbands.
Another instance where there is an unlikely connection at an unexpected moment happens when there is a sense that the bachelor party may not feel all that special. However, at the same time, it is a chance for Peter to be there for his son even though it was not his intention to end up at the same vacation spot. The precious timing in Ex-Husband takes a serious turn and demonstrates to the audience that Peter’s life is not in the happiest place, nor is life for his boys either. The younger son feels stuck in the middle of it all. He is the third wheel trying to battle his own thoughts of feeling closeted and lost.
The emotions displayed in Heizer’s performance made me think of his role from the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. He still has the ability to play an ailing young man in Ex-Husbands. Norton’s performance reminded me of his role from the film Nowhere Special. When he is trying to have a good time before problems begin, he is in that same emotional state in Ex-Husbands. Even though the men’s problems are depressing, the question of whose problems are more important is really no competition. The reality is that sticking together gives a family purpose.
The family navigating the difficulties around them is where Ex-Husbands finds its essential track. It is not a feel-good flick but instead defines what is essential when there is family turmoil. Finding solutions is portrayed poetically in Ex-Husbands. It gives a realistic view with artistic perspective of life scenarios that can be hard to tango with.
Three out of four stars.
