Millers in Marriage

by Mike McGranaghan

Edward Burns was in that wave of ‘90s independent filmmakers who made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival with self-financed productions. (Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez were also in the group.) After his Sundance-winning The Brothers McMullen and its follow-up, She’s the One, were distributed by Fox Searchlight, Burns took an even more indie turn, making a string of low-budget movies that made their money through streaming deals and minor theatrical releases. If he hasn’t held on to the “cool” factor several of his contemporaries enjoy, he’s at least worked with total artistic freedom.

Burns’ latest, Millers in Marriage, focuses on three siblings, each with their own marital problem. Eve (Gretchen Mol) is fed up with perpetually drunk husband Scott (Patrick Wilson) and finds herself drawn to a music critic (Benjamin Bratt) who thinks she should revitalize the singing career she abandoned. Maggie (Julianna Margulies) feels her marriage to Nick (Campbell Scott) has grown stale, so she takes up an affair with a local landscaper (Brian d’Arcy James) while still putting on appearances of contentment. Andy (Burns) has started dating Renee (Minnie Driver), only to discover his estranged wife Tina (Morena Baccarin) wants him back.

The movie weaves back and forth between these plot threads. Along the way, little pieces of information are given to suggest that the Millers did not have great role models to show them what a healthy marriage is like.

Burns’ gift has always been for writing realistic-sounding dialogue, which he does again here. What the characters say, how they say it, and what it reveals has an authentic feel. There are more than a few smart observations about relationships and the complicated, contradictory ways people behave. Some are humorous, others more dramatic. Either way, you can tell that Burns has listened in real life, making mental notes, not just about the words but also about the unspoken implications in between those words.

Every actor in the ensemble cast brings their A game. You won’t find a weak link. It’s not hard to see why so many well-regarded names signed on to be in the movie. They get a lot to work with. To the degree that there’s a standout, it would have to be Gretchen Mol. She brings a palpable sense of inner sadness to Eve, allowing viewers to feel the heartbreak this woman has over ditching her dream career for a man who wasn’t worth it.

Millers in Marriage wisely doesn’t attempt to wrap everything up in a bow at the end. It very much acknowledges the messy parts of marriage. You can tell Edward Burns is influenced by the works of John Cassavetes with this picture, in that it’s driven by the personalities and interactions of the characters as opposed to a traditional three-act plot with peaks of manufactured drama. With a stellar cast bringing his ideas to life, the director turns in one of his best films to date. Even if you don’t directly identify with the Miller siblings’ marital woes, the themes of family, love, and self-analysis are universal.

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