A Quiet Little Marriage (2008) User Reviews

Not what I expected, but great!

[dforbin-240-460622 · 7/10 · 16 December 2011]

When first looking at this movie, I thought wow it has my favorite characters from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so this should be good. I wasn't expecting the movie to be as great.

The story line of the Dex and Jackson and the dynamic of their relationship was completely relate-able. The end of the movie did leave me with many questions that I hope will be followed-up in a sequel of some sort.

All of the actors and actresses in the movie were great. I would recommend this movie. I can see why it won awards. Excellently written, directed, and acted.

happiness lost, then found with a condition attached!

[cekadah · 10/10 · 27 January 2013]

my reaction while watching this story was that i cared for dax & olive. they seemed so happy and well suited to each other. but as in all relationships trouble raises it's ugly head and happiness begins to crumble.

this crumbling happiness doesn't happen because some outside force falls upon them - it crumbles because they do it to themselves. thus a once 'happy' life gets tarnished. their quiet little marriage becomes loud and sorrowful. what will happen to dax & olive?

and that is the question you will leave with after watching this flick. it's a simple story that likely happens everyday around us - but we don't see it. perfectly fine loving people making the wrong turn in life.

a beautiful movie!

Great little film

[wedint · 8/10 · 27 October 2008]

Here is a short little review I've written, not at all complete, but I hope it gives some viewers an idea of how wonderful this film was:

What "A Quiet Little Marriage" lacks in star power or sheen, it makes up for with raw, unabashed honesty and truthfulness. Although many early write-ups for the film have compared it to the early works of John Cassavetes (probably because of the filmmaker and actors independent spirit regarding the project…) it seems more akin to a great short story by Richard Yates or John Updike or Raymond Carver.

Cy Carter is the stand out performance as Dax, the husband with a family history of drug and alcohol abuse, who wants nothing to do with having a child. He plays the reluctant, but supportive husband with a great stillness. And like the characters in Carver's short stories it is what Dax doesn't say that means more to the story, than what he actually says.

Mary-Elizabeth Ellis (Always Sunny In Philadelphia) gives a very solid performance as Olive, Dax's wife, as well. Jimmie Simpson and Charlie Day (also from Sunny) add some comic relief.

The writer/director, Mo Perkins, never delves into the melodrama like some less nuanced filmmakers might and instead approaches her characters with compassion up until the very end of the film.

Overall, this film has a great heart. The characters, the scenes, the situations, the pacing, all feel like lives very close to ours or someone we know. "Marriage" is a simple, quiet little film about love, a rare honest portrayal of the institute of the American marriage, and a testament to independent film-making still existing.