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Blue Valentine

Play trailer 1:45 Poster for Blue Valentine R 2010 2h 0m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer 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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Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine

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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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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek 02/06/2018
See it for [Ryan] Gosling and [Michelle] Williams, but be advised: if you take a date, you'll be sorry. Go to Full Review
Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online 09/09/2017
A+
Williams's beautiful performance is played nicely off Gosling's remarkably vulnerable performance yielding a timeless portrayal of love, romance, agony and despair. Go to Full Review
Laura Kern Film Comment Magazine 06/20/2013
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. Go to Full Review
Nadia Dalimonte Next Best Picture 05/09/2024
9/10
The concept of a troubled marriage might be familiar grounds, but the intimate storytelling of “Blue Valentine” feels personal to Cianfrance’s filmmaking style. Go to Full Review
Michael Leader Den of Geek 05/07/2024
4/5
Blue Valentine gently invites the viewer into their lives. Go to Full Review
Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson 02/16/2024
4/5
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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D M 19h Beautiful and devastating See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Nov 17 I don't know why I watched it. Probably because I saw it was 18+ and wanted to see why. Like other reviews say, don't take a date to this movie. Sad ending, but brutally honest look at what can easily happen if two people are not on board with their lives. See more Leaburn O Oct 29 A devastating collapse of what was a seemingly perfect romance is not your conventional Hollywood love story. This is well made, superbly acted and a difficult watch because it’s hard not to root for them. Watched on Amazon Prime. See more Hao Ian L @HaOiAn Oct 15 Documentary-style camera work combined with both leads delivering their career-best performances gently invites the viewer into the profoundly authentic, crippling relationship, with a stripped-down narrative that is tragic, intimate, and has a whole lot of realism that tugs at the heartstrings. See more Dominic B Jul 30 Williams and Gosling shine in this. There's kindness, despair, joy and sadness in the story of their love blossoming and withering. See more Allan C Jul 19 Well-told but dreary tale of a marriage unraveling Blue Valentine (2010) **** This is one of those movies I appreciate, but did not really enjoy. The film documents a disintegrating marriage between Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, told through time-jumps to different points in their relationship, from their initial courtship, to when they have a child, to the eventual dissolution of their marriage. Williams and Gosling both give fantastic performances, particularly Williams, and director, co-writer Derek Cianfrance gives the film a Cinema vérité feel, where it’s as if you’re a fly on the wall peeking in on these people’s lives. However, as well drawn as these characters are, as good as the performances are, and as well crafted a story the film tells, it’s kind of a miserable film to watch. It’s reminded me of DANCER IN THE DARK, where it’s a brilliant film, but is so unpleasant that I’ll probably never watch it again. College-aged-Allan was much more into this sort of art house kitchen sink realism, but the older I get, the more I simply want to be entertained and have a lower tolerance for art house endurance tests. But then again, I just watched BUFFALO 66, a total kitchen sink type of film, for the first time last year and absolutely loved it! However, that film wasn’t a bummer of a movie like this one. Overall, BLUE VALENTINE is worth watching, but get ready for some depressing good times.  AI CAPSULE REVIEW: Blue Valentine is a beautifully acted, emotionally raw portrait of a marriage in collapse that’s as artful as it is emotionally draining. It’s a masterclass in performance and realism—but not exactly a fun night at the movies. See more Read all reviews
Blue Valentine

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Movie Info

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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