Blue Valentine

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1:45

Blue Valentine

R

Released Dec 29, 2010

2h 0m

Drama

Romance

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Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

211 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) live a quiet life in a modest neighborhood. To the casual observer, everything appears normal, if a bit subdued. But a closer examination reveals a couple caught in a downward spiral. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage.

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Critics Consensus

This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn't always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

See it for [Ryan] Gosling and [Michelle] Williams, but be advised: if you take a date, you'll be sorry.

Feb 6, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Williams's beautiful performance is played nicely off Gosling's remarkably vulnerable performance yielding a timeless portrayal of love, romance, agony and despair.

Rated: A+

Sep 9, 2017

Full Review

Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

Unlike Bergman's searing Scenes from a Marriage, which sustains itself for every one of its 299 devastating minutes, Blue Valentine begins to falter somewhere during its 114.

Jun 20, 2013

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Nadia Dalimonte

Next Best Picture

The concept of a troubled marriage might be familiar grounds, but the intimate storytelling of “Blue Valentine” feels personal to Cianfrance’s filmmaking style.

Rated: 9/10

May 9, 2024

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

Blue Valentine gently invites the viewer into their lives.

Rated: 4/5

May 7, 2024

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

The story of Blue Valentine is fascinating, but a tough and tragic one to watch, nonetheless. It doesn't shy away from the depression, tension, and stress, anymore than it does the passion and attaction.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 16, 2024

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Steven N

This movie left me staring at the screen in disarray. The story telling of seeing a love story ignite and crumble at the same time shows how gentile love is. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are immaculate. You can really feel their story dissipate and their chemistry really sells it. Outstanding movie and story telling. 10/10.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

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BJ M

I felt miserable after watching this movie. I tried but couldn't find much redeeming value. The ending was just disappointing.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

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Ethan V

This movie was lowkey so bad not sad or happy or anything just a brutal watch with a lame ending

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/25

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Jakob F

A cataclysmic portrayal of love lost and found, this nonlinear escapade into the lives of two idiosyncratic young adults finding themselves and each other juxtaposes the peak and pit of their relationship and connects all the dots in between, ultimately serving as both a nostalgic celebration and tragic funeral dirge, forming the foundation for my understanding of what love is.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

Full Review

Dave S

In Blue Valentine, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling), married young due to an unplanned pregnancy, struggle to hold together a disintegrating marriage. Cindy, raised in a home torn by volatile parents, seeks comfort in the arms of anyone who will hold her. Dean, a high school dropout content with work as a low-paid unskilled worker, fuels himself with alcohol. The film does an excellent job in honing in on the considerable shortcomings of the two main characters, alternating equally between the present-day horrors of their marriage and the somewhat less troubled early days of their relationship. Thanks to some extremely effective handheld camerawork and fantastic performances from both Williams and Gosling, Blue Valentine is a gut-wrenching slice of life, never easy to watch but impossible to look away from.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/05/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I could rewatch this movie forever. It’s the most honest depiction I’ve seen in film of how relationships can’t always be reconciled, even if there was a time when they felt perfect. Michelle Williams gives a beautiful portrayal of a woman who’s hoped for a lot and been disappointed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/24

Full Review

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Derek Cianfrance

Director

Ryan Gosling

Dean

Michelle Williams

Cindy

Faith Wladyka

Frankie

John Doman

Jerry Heller

Mike Vogel

Bobby

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Blue Valentine: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) live a quiet life in a modest neighborhood. To the casual observer, everything appears normal, if a bit subdued. But a closer examination reveals a couple caught in a downward spiral. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage.

Director: Derek Cianfrance
Producer: Lynette Howell Taylor, Alex Orlovsky, Jamie Patricof
Screenwriter: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Silverwood Films, Hunting Lane
Rating: R (Language|A Beating|Strong Graphic Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 29, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.7M
Runtime: 2h 0m

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