Runtime: 109 minutes
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Yes, it stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, but this time there are far more characters, unfortunately
From: Several different companies
No one is more surprised at me that I feel this way about Before Midnight (meaning that this is only a 3 star film instead of a classic).
Almost as shocking as my rating is that it wasn’t until last February and last August respectively that I first saw Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, respectively. Both were excellent 5 star affairs which were magical as it was a great journey seeing two people “meeting cute” and having all sorts of interesting conversations as they wonder if their love should be a one night fling or if it could be a long-term relationship. I waited some time to see the third one due to a comment I read elsewhere on Letterboxd that it’d be OK to not see these movies in close proximity to each other due to the trilogy’s themes and what have you.
I don’t know what I was expecting going into this; what the movie presented was not it. It was all normal in the first scene where we see Jesse and his 14 year old son in Greece; the son had a great time and that’s all nice despite how bad the relationship is between Jesse and his ex-wife. Soon thereafter it is Jesse and Celine again, except that the magic seemed to be gone. Even if we stick with the idea that things aren’t always rosy between the two, how this is presented wasn’t all that enjoyable (interesting… perhaps?) and even the dialogue felt pretentious… of course the same charge could be laid at the feet of the first two films but how blatant that was here smacked me in the face.
Heck, it even took the movie a really long time to explain that the characters weren’t living in Greece permanently and instead were there to spend time at a retreat they were invited to, even if the movie acted like we were privy to this beforehand with mentions of everyone “returning to the airport” but waited a long time to explain WHY. I realize this opinion will be wildly unpopular yet I’d feel totally dishonest by making up a BS review over how I actually gave this high marks even if it was incredibly different from the first two.
I don’t fault the lead actors for the characters they had to play this time and there still managed to be nice moments of dialogue which I enjoyed. But, there is a half hour or so spent with additional characters who I never really cared that much about nor was I given a reason to…
Yes, it is unfair for me to be disappointed that this third installment was presented in a way which wasn’t how I imagined it to or how I wished to see the lead duo this time. However, the increased vulgarity and what I mentioned already leaves me massively disheartened that I did not love this or especially how Jesse and Celine were portrayed here. I can’t say this was something I hated due to the good moments and the lovely Greek scenery; however, not even the ending charmed me.
Ultimately, as unpopular as this opinion will be, forgetting all about this movie and its cold, bitter ambiance, replacing it with a fantasy of what happened with Jesse and Celine that I can love as much as many love the conclusion to this trilogy. I will never forget how this was the most disappointed I have been with a movie in at least a year but alas…
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