Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

torstensonjohn A romantic drama with profound performances and spectacular writing involved. The film depicts a married couple, Dean and Cynthia Pereira (Gosling and Williams), the transitional shifting of their romantic beginning and the dissolution of their marriage several years later. The film is told in a nonlinear narrative so we can see the subtext of the characters involved. The film did not actually entertain me as it did set a tone for realism in the tradition of real couples. It was moving, insightful, creatively directed and well written. The characters are dynamically portrayed by Gosling and Williams, which Williams was nominated for an Oscar, but Gosling was not. I enjoyed the tempo and plot and how well it flowed through the almost 2 hour time frame. Traditionally need more film with substance such as this. I give it a high 7 out of 10.

merelyaninnuendo Blue Valentine The chemistry among the characters makes the viewers writhe on the seat as there never landed something so perfectly on terms of casting, performance, execution, writing and emotions, emotions that pours out of screen like rain. It is a simple yet practical love story that depicts the other side of the coin; something which one is unfamiliar too and has yet remained hollow on screen, screaming and summoning this very feature. The script doesn't walk on usual format and isn't restrained to a definite structure and instead flows on its self-created path that leaves the audience in the awe of it. Derek Cianfrance; the screenwriter and director, is in his A game where he might be "all in", but there never was projected such a tale that is not only thought-provoking but also ground breaking in its genre as it redefines it by its own rules and terms. The performance objective is scored majestically by the lead cast (Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) as the major part of the feature relies upon their performance. It is rich on technical aspects like background score, sound department and editing that is perfect. Blue Valentine is a blue tale about blue characters which may sound familiar but this is a rare art piece that one has never encountered before; not at this scale, not at this range.

paul2001sw-1 Derek Cianfrance's film 'Blue Valentine' is essentially a two-hander, with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams both excellent as they play a couple in a story that intersperses scenes from the birth and death of their relationship. What happens in between? Life, I guess. Both parts of the story are well-told, the beginning full of optimism, the ending full of bitterness, hate, and the memory of a love that has gone. What there isn't is a period where we the audience can realistically hope of a happy conclusion: to that extent, what we do see is slightly less engaging than it might have been if it was merely book-ending a more complete story. It's powerful stuff nonetheless.

Grunge Fan The trailer for Blue Valentine makes it look like an indie rom-com, however it is not, far from it actually. Blue Valentine is about the end of a failed marriage involving two people named Dean (Ryan gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams). The film cuts back and forth between two time periods separated five years apart, the beginning of their relationship, and the final 24 hours of their relationship. Dean is a good man, a little childish, but only wants to be a good father and a good husband, Cindy on the other hand is selfish and only seems to care about herself and not so much about her family. Blue Valentine is a hard film to explain without spoiling anything, so with that I won't go any further into the plot. There's not really a straightforward plot with this film, Blue Valentine is a film that relies mostly on acting. The performances in this film are very strong and the movie is very emotionally intense, it feels as if you're actually watching an unhappy couple drift away from each other, and this is not a movie to see with your boyfriend or girlfriend unless you want them to dump you. This film originally received an NC-17 rating due to a scene involving cunnilingus, Ryan Gosling later complained about this and accused the MPAA of sexism and misogyny, therefore, the rating was changed to R. Blue Valentine could be seen as a cautionary tale that teaches this lesson, be careful who you fall in love with and make sure that person is worth it, because most marriages these days are just like this movie, they start off happy, but eventually go down a black hole and into the divorce courts. I strongly recommend all young people to go see Blue Valentine because it shows what very well could become of a marriage, and if you do decide to get married, make sure that person is worth it. Blue Valentine is a great film with great acting and two very good, well respected actors, however, this is a film I will never be able to watch again. 9/10.