Goodbye to All That

And the message is:

Men should never marry!!!!

It does not matter how nice, sweet and beautiful their female partners are.

The point is that after a few years, sex gets boring, life gets drys,all excitement and fun are over.

Wives become hags that suck out all the fun from everything, from simple guy's hobbies to life itself.

Now about GTAT: The film was OK, nothing special, but not bad either.

It is OK for a rainy, cold Saturday

GOODBYE TO ALL THAT explores the aftermath of the abrupt dissolution of an 11-year marriage. Blind-sided, Otto Wall (Paul Schneider) receives the devastating news that his marriage is over from his wife's, Annie's, (Melanie Lysnskey), therapist (Celia Weston). This announcement has a profound affect on, not only Otto, but the couple's precocious daughter, Edie (a delightful performance from Audrey Scott) and makes for very funny, and at times, sad consequences as Otto discovers the rapturous joys and painful pitfalls of dating and single parenthood in our modern age.

4 stars to the strong cast that also includes Heather Graham and Anna Camp. 4 stars to Angus MacLachlan, writer and director, who also brought us the beloved JUNEBUG. And lastly 4 stars to the lovely North Carolina setting.

One of the most successful things about the movie is that after all we've seen Otto go through, when he's presented with a major fork-in-the-road life choice, the viewer may still wonder which way he'll go. The scenes with Otto and his daughter were most affecting. The daughter is the most fully-realized female character; the other women are there for Otto to bounce off of, literally and figuratively. I found myself thinking about Otto after I'd seen the movie, recalling the lows he endures, the conversation in the back yard where he confesses his feelings of being adrift, and then how he ultimately responds. For me the statement made might be summed up as "a meaningful life derives from doing your duties and paying attention to others."

Normally I don't go for that type of movie. I'm not a big fan of dramas but since it was also a comedy I thought I give it a shot. Well, in this dramedy I didn't laugh a lot, but just enough to keep me interested. The story isn't that bad, it's just about a father that is getting divorced and that didn't see it coming. He then discovers the single life where he gets to have a lot of one night stands with a variety of women. The actors did their jobs as good as they could. It's not that I was astonished by their performances, they were just not bad. I will probably forget about this movie in a week. Did I regret watching this movie? No, not at all, there are far worse movies then this one. I guess for people that like dramedies this one must be good.

What appears on the surface to be a quirky slice of life movie turns out to be a thoughtful and sensitive look at finding romance and adventure following the breakup of a marriage. Walter's encounters with women are sexy, bizarre and wonderfully funny while at the same time he struggles to become a successful single parent to his nine old daughter and move on with his life. Scenes featuring Social media and sitting in front of the screen as Walter dabbles in connecting online are pitch perfect, as are his efforts to be his better self, navigating the murky waters of women looking for excitement. Marvelous writing and laid back directorial style.

Go see this movie!