Μύ David Duchonvy and Julianne Moore make "an engaging double-act" in romantic comedy Trust The Man. It was written and directed by Moore's husband Bart Freundlich, who was clearly angling for a Woody Allen vibe circa 1977. Critics, though, deemed it inferior to Allen's best and it floundered at the box office. The limited scope of Freundlich's vision means it's perhaps better suited to the small screen.
Trust Issues
Interviews with the director and cast (including Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal) amount to nearly an hour of footage. It quickly becomes apparent how the real-life friendships between them influenced the making of the film. We're told that Moore and Duchovny had spent years trying to persuade Freundlich to write a romantic comedy and as he puts it, "get out of my dark stage..."
Inevitably, there are references to Woody Allen films like Annie Hall and Manhattan, but Moore describes the film as "very modern" in addition to "very classic". She also reflects on the experience of being directed by her husband and he has no shame in admitting that he cast her because, "She's my wife...and she's the best actress alive." Fair dos.
Man Trouble
The highlight of four quite lengthy deleted scenes finds Tom (Duchovny) visiting the doctor about a "vibrating testicle". Obviously guilt-ridden about his extramarital dalliance, he notes that, "It seems to coincide with my telephone ringing." And no, he doesn't keep his phone in his pocket!
Another scene features Rebecca (Moore) scolding little brother Tobey (Billy Crudup) about his failure to sustain a meaningful relationship. She reckons the problem stems from a bad break-up with his first girlfriend at 12-years-old ("You couldn't give her what she needed."). There's also more of Tobey stalking his shrink (Bob Babalan) to gather ammunition for their next session.
It mightn't be made to last, but if you're stuck without a date on a Saturday night, you could do worse than take to the couch with this DVD.
EXTRA FEATURES
Trust The Man DVD is released on Monday 5th March 2007.
