Metroland **1/2
not rated starring Christian Bale, Lee Ross, Emily Watson, Elsa Zylberstein written by Adrian Hodges based on the novel by Julian Barnes directed by Philip Saville
"You should be able to have affairs. It will be good for our marriage. And don't worry, I'll still do your laundry and wash the dishes." In Philip Saville's METROLAND, those are the lines spoken to Chris(Christian Bale), by his wife Marion(Emily Watson), in a recurring dream of his.
Chris and Marion live in 1970's Eastwood, a small town in England in an area dubbed Metroland. They are young, married and have a small child. One early morning, Chris recieves an unexpected phone call from a rebellious, despicable old friend named Toni(Lee Ross). Toni invites himself over for lunch, and he seems amazed at the change that Chris has gone through. "You're living your parents' life," he tells Chris. It is then that Chris remembers the past through flashbacks.
It turns out that Chris lived in the Metroland area as a child, only to leave to Paris to further his career in photography. While working at a diner, he meets Annick(Elsa Zylberstein), a beautiful young French woman(who speaks English) and begins a lusty, sex-filled relationship with her. But while taking photos in the park, he meets Marion for the first time, and begins seeing her often(but just as friends). But when Chris lets Annick know about Marion, his woman-friend, she freaks out and moves out, and Chris and Marion take their relationship to the next level.
But as the film skips back to the present, we see how Toni is pushing Chris to be a wild child again and cheat on his wife. But Chris is a very trustworthy man, and monogamy is one thing that he is very careful about. The marital dilemmas between Chris and Marion are the core of METROLAND, and the best thing about it. Chris is conflicted whether his stable life in Metroland makes him happy, or merely content.
For the most part, METROLAND is a slow, weak film, saved only by occasional good dialogue and acting. But as Chris and Marion's marriage is questioned, the film becomes much more fascinating, perhaps because of Bale and Watson. Those expecting to see a lot of the great Emily Watson will be disappointed, but METROLAND gives her a chance to restrain herself, as she plays a character not nearly as animated as her previous ones. VELVET GOLDMINE's Bale similarly holds his own, but one can only leave METROLAND wishing someone had given both actors a better movie. Nonetheless, some parts of METROLAND are better than others, but don't expect another Oscar nomination for Watson; at least not yet.
a review by Akiva Gottlieb, The Teenage Movie Critic akiva@excite.com http://www.angelfire.com/mo/film watch me on TBS' "Dinner And A Movie" May 21, 8:05pm EST
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