Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. The film premiered in competition at the 26th Sundance Film Festival. Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling played the lead roles. The band Grizzly Bear scored the film.
The film depicts a married couple, Dean Pereira (Gosling) and Cynthia "Cindy" Heller (Williams), shifting back and forth in time between their courtship and the dissolution of their marriage several years later.
Present Day: The film begins with a little girl (Frankie) calling for her lost dog, Megan. After the dog doesn't return she goes inside to find her Daddy, who is asleep in a chair in the living room. She wakes him, and they go outside to find Megan the dog. They spend a few minutes searching for her. You can tell right away that they have a wonderful relationship and that Frankie loves her father with all her heart. After a few minutes, they go inside to wake up Cindy, they jump on her bed in what seems to be a nice family moment. Cindy seems slightly cranky and insists she gets to sleep for a while longer. They get her up and begin to eat breakfast. Cindy is clearly the parent who enforces the rules while Dean is the fun one. Cindy tries to get Frankie to eat her breakfast (cold oatmeal with raisins), but Frankie doesn't comply until Dean takes the fun approach of eating on the table like leopards. Cindy, frustrated, takes Frankie out of the room and gets her ready for school. Cindy and Frankie are in the car, and Dean brings out Frankie's backpack and asks Cindy to buckle her seat-belt, to which she waves off with annoyance. Dean goes to work as a home painter and Cindy as a nurse in a pre-natal private practice. Her boss asks if she has made the decision to move to another city with his practice. She remarks that hasn't had the time to discuss it with her family yet, and her boss looks disappointed, but tells her to let him know by Monday. After her shift, she rushes to Frankie's school to see her in an assembly. Along the way, she sees Megan dead on the side of the road. When she arrives at Frankie's assembly, she sits next to Dean who can tell something is wrong right away. She says that she found Megan and begins to cry. Dean is upset and asks how many times he has to ask her to lock the dog gate before she gets it. After the assembly, they take Frankie to a sleepover at Cindy's Dad's house. Her father asks is anything is wrong, she doesn't respond. Dean and Cindy say goodnight to Frankie and go home. When they arrive they bury Megan and Cindy begins to clean the house while Dean watches home movies of Frankie and Megan. Dean then calls a cheap hotel for them to spend a night together. Cindy says she is on call tomorrow and doesn't have the time to go away for the evening. Dean is ardent about them spending the night together, she relents, and they head out. While stopping to get gas and booze Cindy runs into an old boyfriend, named Bobby. He asks if she is married and if she has been faithful to him. Cindy says yes and leaves. In the car, Dean asks what took her so long. She says that he will never guess who she ran into. When she reveals it was Bobby, Dean freaks out. Cindy tries to calm him by lying and saying that Bobby is fat and ugly, but that does nothing for Dean.
Flashback. We meet Dean six or seven years earlier. He is a charismatic slacker who is applying for a job at a moving company. He talks about love and romance with his co-workers, saying that men are more romantic than women. Women dream about meeting Prince Charming and end up choosing a man because he is safe and has a good job. Dean says, "men just know by looking at women that they are the one". He says that it is like listening to music; sometimes you hear a song, and you just got to dance to it. One day Dean and his crew help move an old gentleman into a nursing home. His boss says Dean doesn't have a lot of time to unpack the items into the room and to hurry up. As Dean goes through he boxes, he sees the remnants of an amazing life. He takes the time to unpack everything and decorate the room with old matchboxes on the wall, the man's navy uniform, and photos from his past. When the old man comes to the room, Dean helps him in and puts him in a rocking chair and shows him the work he has done. The old man is a little overwhelmed but clearly appreciates what Dean has done for him. Dean then goes to take his part of the payment which his boss left for him on a table, but before he leaves he looks out the door and sees something...
Flashback. We meet Cindy six or seven years earlier. She is in a wheelchair making her way around a college campus. She goes to the campus athletic center and watches some wrestlers. One of them looks up and comes out to see her, and he is Bobby. He kisses her and asks why she is in a wheelchair and she says that she is seeing how accessible the campus is to paraplegics. He asks why she is always doing things like this and calls her a freak and continues to kiss her. She pulls away and says that she will see him later. A little later, Bobby is having sex with Cindy from behind, and he is very rough with her. She tries to go away for a second, but he goes even harder. Finally, she gets away to the bathroom where she attempts to pull a broken condom out of herself. A few days later we see Cindy taking care of her elderly grandmother. Cindy brings her back from a walk to a nursing home and settles her down into her room. She goes to close the door when she sees across the hall to a neighbor's room and sees Dean taking his share of the money from the old man. Dean sees her spying on him and come out to her room and insists that he wasn't stealing the money. Cindy nods but doesn't believe him. Dean says that it was his pay for the day and asks for her name and what she is doing later that night. She doesn't reply, and he writes his name on the back of his business card and asks her to give him a chance. She smiles, takes the card, and closes the door.
Present Day. Cindy and Dean arrive at the hotel and are in a futuristic room complete with a rotating bed. Cindy gets in the shower. Dean joins her and attempts to go down on her. She pulls away, and they finish showering in silence. Later, while eating dinner, Cindy asks why Dean why he never took the initiative with work. He is upset that she isn't happy with where he is, and that working as a house painter allows him to do the job he loves most, being a husband and father. She drops the issue and they finish eating.
Flashback. After a month of not hearing from Cindy, Dean begins to lose all hope. One day while sweeping out a moving truck he finds a locket that belonged to the old man in the nursing home. That gives him the excuse to go back to the home to hopefully see Cindy. When he arrives at the home the old man's room is cleaned out, and his blankets are folded on the bed. Disappointed that the old man died, Dean sees Cindy's grandmother in her room and asks about that girl who was in her room with her a while back. Cindy's Grandma says her name is Cindy, and she is her granddaughter. Dean leaves and take the bus home. On the bus, he sees Cindy and goes to sit with her and the two talk, joke, and get along quite well. Their time on the bus extends to an impromptu date where he sings for her while she tap dances. You can see that already they are in love.
Present Day. Back in the hotel room Dean and Cindy are both getting drunk, and he tries to make love to her but she pretends to fall asleep. Frustrated he walks away. She follows him, and they fool around on the floor. He begins to get naked and asks her to make a baby with him, but she stops him and tries to make him play rape her. He says that he loves her and won't do that to her. She gets angry, walks out, and locks the door to the bedroom so he cannot follow her. He pounds on the door saying that he will never hit or treat her like that, that he loves her, and that it isn't right of her to treat him like this after all he has done for her. He just wants to make a baby with her.
Flashback. We see Cindy in a classroom while Bobby collects the classes papers. He pauses at her desk, and she ignores him. Angry, he takes her paper and walks away. After class, she goes to the bathroom and takes a pregnancy test. We can tell by her face that it is positive. She finds Dean after work and they go for a walk. They come to a bridge and after nagging her the whole time about what is bothering her Dean threatens to jump over the bridge. Cindy will not tell him what is wrong until his is over the side and ready to jump. When he hears of her pregnancy, he asks if it is his and she says that it is doubtful. Angry he starts hitting the fence of the bridge, she starts to walk away, but he follows her and asks what she plans to do (abort/adopt/keep) and she says nothing. Dean says he loves her and that he will support her no matter what she chooses. The movie cuts to Cindy at an abortion clinic answering questions (when did you begin having sex? How many partners? Etc...), she then goes into the room to have an abortion, the doctor is ready to administer the procedure when Cindy stops him saying she cannot go though with it and she wants to see her friend. She walks out of the clinic and Dean follows her, you can't hear what they are saying but he mouths "I love you" and she nods and he holds her while she cries. Cindy goes home smiling, lays on her bed, and listens to her missed messages. They are from Bobby who says he knows she is pregnant, that the baby is his, and that he is going to beat Dean to a pulp if shes doesn't call and take him back. Cindy tries to call Dean at work but while she is calling Bobby and two of his wrestling buddies find Dean and beat him pretty badly. Later Dean goes to meet Cindy's parents. Cindy's father asks if he graduated from high school and he says no, but that he loves Cindy and will do what it takes to support her. Cindy's mother says that Cindy is going to become a Doctor and Dean says that he loves that and thinks she is the smartest person he knows. He says he would like to have her as his or his kid's doctor someday. After dinner Cindy and Dean go up to her room and fool around. Before things get serious, Dean says he picked a song for them. He plays it and asks her to marry him, she agrees.
Present Day. The next day in the hotel Cindy's phone rings and her job asks her to come in to work. She tries to get out of it but she is their last hope. She gets dressed and writes Dean a note explaining where she went and that he will have to take a bus home. Dean wakes up, angry that Cindy left him there like some drunk and makes his way to her place of work. Cindy's boss asks again if she thought about transferring with him. She says it has only been a day and she thought she had until Monday to decide. Her boss says that he could get her an apartment where she could stay during the week and then come home on the weekends. Perhaps, he adds, they could even get dinner together in the evenings. Cindy is shocked and reminds him that she is married and that she thought he wanted to take her with him because she is good at her job. Her boss gets flustered and goes into to see a patient.
Meanwhile, Dean arrives at the hospital and the nurse at the greeting station makes a rude comment about he must be Dean, he says he is just here to see his wife. The nurse calls Cindy who is upset that he came to visit her at work and the co-worker nurse asks Cindy if she will be alright and tells her not to let Dean brainwash her. They head to Cindy's office and Dean flies off the handle that she has been talking about them at work and leaving him at the hotel and their fight escalates into yelling. Cindy's boss and co-worker come in to try to help and Dean tells them to leave or he will hit her boss. The boss does not leave so Dean slugs him. When the boss stands back up he fires Cindy and tells both of them to get the hell out of his office. They leave, Cindy disgusted with Dean and she screams that she can't do this with him anymore and that she wants a divorce. Angry, Dean throws his wedding ring into some bushes a moment later he calms down and goes to find it. Cindy joins him in the search for his ring and they look for it in silence.
During their fight in her office the movie flashes back and forth from the fight to their wedding day at the Justice of the Peace office. Cindy is 6 or 7 months pregnant and Dean tells her how beautiful she looks. She asks if he is nervous, and he says that he is nervous they won't get in fast enough and that Cindy will change her mind. She laughs at the thought and kisses him to reassure him of her decision. We see a simple ceremony that clearly means a lot to both of them as they cry while giving their vows and kissing each other as man and wife.
Present Day. Cindy and Dean arrive at her father's house to pick up Frankie who is excited to see them both. Cindy hands Frankie to Dean and heads inside. Dean hands Frankie to her Grandpa, goes inside, and locks the door so they cannot follow them in. In her fathers kitchen Cindy says that she is serious about the divorce. Dean pleads with her to reconsider and says that she is being selfish and isn't thinking about Frankie and that even though she isn't his daughter he still loves her like one and that he will do anything she wants. He asks Cindy to tell him what to do and he will do it to be with them, he will do whatever she wants. Cindy says that she is thinking about Frankie and that she has fallen out of love with Dean and she cannot pretend anymore. They will never change to be what the other person needs and she just needs her space. Dean realizing this is it, leaves. Frankie chases after Dean calling for her daddy. Dean turns to her and says she must go back to her mother, Frankie just puts her arms around his neck. Dean lifts her up and gives her a big hug as Cindy comes up to them. Dean hands Frankie back to Cindy and walks away while Frankie cries out "DADDY! DADDY!" and Cindy turns to go back to her father's house, leaving Dean to walk away and out of hers and Frankie's lives forever.
Williams was 21 when she received the script and Gosling committed to the production two years later, but filming did not begin until 2009, when Williams was 27, due to Cianfrance's inability to find financing. The director was also unable to film the "young" and "older" scenes several years apart as he had hoped, again due to lack of money.[2] The film was to be shot in California but production was moved to Brooklyn, New York and Scranton, Pennsylvania. Williams wanted to stay close to her Brooklyn home to take care of her daughter, Matilda, so the director chose Scranton due to its proximity to Brooklyn.
I took a compass and (...) literally put one point of the compass on her house, and I drew a circle, an hour diameter around her house, and it just touched Scranton, Pennsylvania. So the next day I drove to Scranton (...) and we said, 'We're shooting here'.
Gosling and Williams improvised dialogue; the scene in which their characters wander through New York together was unscripted, for example, with the actors—who had both appeared in The United States of Leland (2003) but had not shared scenes—getting to know each other during its filming.[2] Before filming the marriage dissolution between the main characters, Gosling and Williams prepared by renting a home, bringing their own clothing and belongings, buying groceries with a budget based on their characters' incomes, filming home movies and taking a family portrait at a local Sears with the actress who played their daughter, and staging out arguments.[2][4] Cianfrance visited the actors and assisted them in building tension while remaining in character: "One night he told Gosling to go into Williams' bedroom and try to make love to her. Gosling, soundly rejected, ended up sleeping on the couch."[4]
The film was filmed in Super 16mm and Red One. The former was used for the pre-marriage scenes and the latter was used for the post-marriage scenes.[5]
While on the The Hollywood Reporter Director's Roundtable, Derek Cianfrance pointed out that he gave up his entire director's fee to help fund the film: "I mean, it came down to we were exactly my fee short. They paid me and I just paid it back. So I still have to pay taxes on it, you know. So I actually had to pay to make the movie."[6]
Gosling wrote and performed some songs by himself. The band Grizzly Bear composed the score of the film. A soundtrack for the film was released by Lakeshore Records.
One of the film's feature songs, "You and Me", which is presented as the couple's personal song, was originally recorded as a demo by a group called Penny & The Quarters for the obscure Prix Label of Columbus, Ohio in the early 1970s. It was re-released on a compilation album by the Numero Group in 2007 without the members of the group being identified.[7]
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival[8] and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2010.[9] In Australia, the film was released on December 26, 2010 through Palace Films.[10] In the United States, it was distributed by The Weinstein Company as a limited release on December 29, 2010.[11]
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 10, 2011. Special features include an audio commentary with Director Derek Cianfrance, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and home movies.[12] The film has grossed $2,625,451 through US DVD sales.[13]
On October 8, 2010 Blue Valentine was officially given an NC-17 rating by the MPAA for American cinemas. This was due to a scene depicting cunnilingus.[14] Gosling accused the MPAA of sexism and misogyny. "There's plenty of oral sex scenes in a lot of movies, where it's a man receiving it from a woman - and they're R-rated. Ours is reversed and somehow it's perceived as pornographic", he stated.[15][16] The Weinstein Company appealed the decision and aimed for an R without any trims to the film, believing the prior decision would significantly harm the film's potential box office take in the United States.[17] The company's appeal was successful on December 8, 2010, and the film received the desired rating.[18]
Blue Valentine has received critical acclaim. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 88% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 180 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10. The consensus reads "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."[19] On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 42 reviews.[20]
In 2006, the script won the Chrysler Film Project, a competition that awards cash to an outstanding new feature film director overseen by Independent Feature Project.[21]
Award |
Date of ceremony |
Category |
Recipient(s) |
Result |
Academy Awards[22] |
February 27, 2011 |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Nominated |
Casting Society of America[23] |
2011 |
Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Low Budget Feature – Drama/Comedy |
Cindy Tolan, Richard Hicks (LA Casting Consultant), David Rubin (LA Casting Consultant) |
Nominated |
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[24] |
December 20, 2010 |
Best Actor |
Ryan Gosling |
Nominated |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Nominated |
Most Promising Filmmaker |
Derek Cianfrance |
Won |
Chlotrudis Awards[25] |
March 20, 2011 |
Best Actor |
Ryan Gosling |
Won |
Golden Globe Awards[26] |
January 16, 2011 |
Best Actor |
Ryan Gosling |
Nominated |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Nominated |
Gotham Independent Film Awards[27] |
November 29, 2010 |
Best Film |
|
Nominated |
Independent Spirit Awards[28] |
February 26, 2011 |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Nominated |
London Film Critics Circle Awards[29] |
February 10, 2011 |
Best Actor |
Ryan Gosling |
Nominated |
Online Film Critics Society Awards[30] |
January 3, 2011 |
Best Actor |
Ryan Gosling |
Nominated |
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards[31] |
December 14, 2010 |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Nominated |
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards[32] |
December 13, 2010 |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Won |
Satellite Awards[33] |
December 19, 2010 |
Best Film |
|
Nominated |
Best Actor |
Ryan Gosling |
Nominated |
Best Actress |
Michelle Williams |
Nominated |
- ^ a b "Blue Valentine (2010)". boxofficemojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bluevalentine.htm. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c Riley, Jenelle (2010-12-08). "Scenes from a Marriage". Back Stage. http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/scenes-from-a-marriage-1004133976.story. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ Longsdorf, Amy (January 18, 2011). "Hearts of darkness". The Weekender. http://www.theweekender.com/cover/Hearts_of_darkness_01-18-2011.html. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Hall, Katy. "Blue Valentine: How Derek Cianfrance Destroyed Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling's Marriage". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katy-hall/blue-valentine-how-derek-_b_819497.html. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
- ^ Heron, Ambrose (December 30, 2010). "Blue Valentine". FILMdetail. http://www.filmdetail.com/2010/12/30/blue-valentine-review/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "THR Director's Roundtable". Youtube.com, accessed October 06, 2011.
- ^ "Penny, the Quarters, and where their share of the Blue Valentine quarters are". Numero Group: By The Numbers. January 18, 2011. http://numerogroup.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/penny-the-quarters-and-where-their-share-of-the-blue-valentine-quarters-are/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Leffler, Rebecca (April 15, 2010). "Hollywood Reporter: Cannes Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-reveals-competition-lineup-22677. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Lambert, Christine (2010), "Blue Valentine premiere - 35th Toronto International Film Festival", DigitalHit.com, http://www.digitalhit.com/galleries/38/567, retrieved 2012-04-07
- ^ "Palace Films to release Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams". Filmink. March 19, 2010. http://www.filmink.com.au/filmbiz/notice/2176/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "The Weinstein Company Sets Dec. 31 Release Date For Blue Valentine, Picks Up The Company Men & Schedules 2010 Slate". The Playlist. March 24, 2010. http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/03/weinstein-company-sets-dec-31-release.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ "Blue Valentine [Blu-ray"]. Cinema Blend, accessed October 05, 2011.
- ^ "Blue Valentine" The Numbers, accessed October 05, 2011.
- ^ Semigran, Aly (October 18, 2010). "Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams' Blue Valentine Gets NC-17 Rating: Why This Makes Us, Well, Blue". MTV. http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2010/10/08/ryan-gosling-michelle-williams-blue-valentine-nc-17/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (December 08, 2010). "'Blue Valentine' NC-17 Rating Reversed; Ryan Gosling Accuses MPAA of Sexism". Moviefone.com, accessed October 17, 2011.
- ^ Smith, Peter (November 19, 2011). "Ryan Gosling calls MPAA misogynistic over NC-17 rating for Blue Valentine oral-sex scene". Nerve.com, accessed October 17, 2011.
- ^ Karger, Dave (October 14, 2010). "Weinstein Co. appealing Blue Valentine NC-17". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidemovies.ew.com/2010/10/14/weinstein-co-appealing-blue-valentine-nc-17-rating/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Stewart, Sara (December 8, 2010). "Slightly less blue Valentine". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/movies/slightly_less_blue_valentine_d3Trs7D2iOCSOEBFAf33CM. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "Blue Valentine". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_valentine/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "Blue Valentine". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/blue-valentine. Retrieved October 06, 2011.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (September 19, 2006). "Blue Valentine wins $1m Chrysler Film Project contest". ScreenDaily.com. http://www.screendaily.com/blue-valentine-wins-1m-chrysler-film-project-contest/4028740.article. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "2011 Artios Award Nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Casting". Casting Society of America. 2011. http://www.castingsociety.com/component/content/article/42-artios-awards/171-2011-artios-award-nominees-and-winners. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "Chicago Film Critics Awards - 2008-2010". Chicago Film Critics Association. http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=60. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- ^ "WINTER'S BONE wins big at 17th Annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony". chlotrudis. http://www.chlotrudis.org/content/winters-bone-wins-big-17th-annual-chlotrudis-awards-ceremony. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "Nominations and Winners - 2010". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/year/2010/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Adams, Ryan (October 18, 2010). "2010 Gotham Independent Film Award Nominations". AwardsDaily. http://www.awardsdaily.com/2010/10/gotham-nominations-live-stream/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
Adams, Ryan (November 29, 2010). "20th Anniversary Gotham Independent Award winners". awardsdaily.com. http://www.awardsdaily.com/2010/11/20th-anniversary-gotham-independent-awards-live-stream/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "2011 Nominees" (pdf). Independent Spirit Awards. http://www.spiritawards.com/files/SA_11_nomonesheet.pdf. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Ng, Philiana (December 20, 2010). "The King's Speech, Another Year Lead Nominations at London Critics' Circle Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kings-speech-year-lead-nominations-61748. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ Stone, Sarah (December 27, 2010). "Online Film Critics Society Nominations". awardsdaily.com. http://www.awardsdaily.com/2010/12/online-film-critics-society-nominations/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
Stone, Sarah (January 3, 2011). "The Social Network Named Best Film by the Online Film Critics". awardsdaily.com. http://www.awardsdaily.com/2011/01/the-social-network-named-best-film-by-the-online-film-critics/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Awards". San Diego Film Critics Society. http://sdfcs.org/2010-awards/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "The San Francisco Film Critics Pick The Social Network". awardsdaily. http://www.awardsdaily.com/2010/12/the-san-francisco-film-critics-pick-the-social-network/. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Nominations" (pdf). International Press Academy. http://www.pressacademy.com/winners2010.pdf. Retrieved January 26, 2011.