I kept waiting for something to happen to these two beautiful people. They are bored, and apparently not attracted to each other any more, but staying at a beautiful place surrounded by gorgeous scenery. They are unhappy, though. It's hard to empathize with these characters. Then they become obsessed with the newlywed neighbors, watching them have sex through a hole in the wall. Brad and Angelina become voyeurs, a turn-on, but not enough for their relationship. We find out later, it's because she's "barren," in a scene that is almost laughable. Kept waiting for Angelina to show some emotion. I became bored early with her wooden performance. First saw this movie before their break-up, and saw it again recently. I can recommend it based on foreshadowing of the cracks in their marriage, leading up to the real life break-up. So much can be seen between the lines. For the beautiful scenery, I would definitely recommend. But for anyone who doesn't appreciate slow-moving films, you will probably not enjoy.
151 Reviews
Angelina Jolie, the artistic filmmaker
SnoopyStyle26 December 2017
In the 70's, writer Roland (Brad Pitt) and former dancer Vanessa (Angelina Jolie) are in a tired marriage. They hope to rekindle their relationship and his writing in a small seaside town in the south of France. She finds a peep hole and obsesses over their next door neighbor especially Léa (Mélanie Laurent).
Angelina Jolie continues to try to be a real filmmaker. She seems competent as a director. I don't see any outstanding style but her work is functional. The acting is tired although that's their characters. Her depression needs to be over-dramatized. When depression is depressed, it's depressing to watch. That's mostly in the writing and I don't think Jolie is a good writer. She may have fair concepts but her dialogue does not sing. The flow is stuck in mud. The plot could have gone somewhere compelling. She needs to collaborate with a better writer who could help her work. This has potential but Jolie lacks the skills to exploit.
Angelina Jolie continues to try to be a real filmmaker. She seems competent as a director. I don't see any outstanding style but her work is functional. The acting is tired although that's their characters. Her depression needs to be over-dramatized. When depression is depressed, it's depressing to watch. That's mostly in the writing and I don't think Jolie is a good writer. She may have fair concepts but her dialogue does not sing. The flow is stuck in mud. The plot could have gone somewhere compelling. She needs to collaborate with a better writer who could help her work. This has potential but Jolie lacks the skills to exploit.
Ultra slow-moving relationship drama finds a pulse in the second half
paul-allaer21 November 2015
"By The Sea" (2015 release; 122 min.) brings the story of married couple Roland (played by Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (played by Angeline Jolie). As the move opens, we see them driving in a gorgeous 1960s Citroen convertible somewhere in the south of France, while Jane Birkin's "Jane B" is blasting on the radio. Roland and Vanessa find an agreeable spot close by the sea and decide to stay there. Eventually another married couple (some years younger, though) ends up in the hotel room next to Vanessa and Roland, not aware that Vanessa found a peep hole, allowing them to look in the other room. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the third movie in the last 3 years directed by Angelina Jolie (she also wrote the script), but the first one where she directs herself (and Brad). It's been exactly 10 years since Angelina and Brad co-starred (ironically also in a struggling marriage, but of a very different kind!). If it sounds from my introductory lines that a lot is happening in the movie, think again. This is an ultra-slow moving film. You would think that this would allow us to get to know these characters, but alas, that is not the case either. We know virtually nothing as to why the marriage is in trouble, and can only speculate why Vanessa seems depressed, if not worse, and why Roland is experiencing writer's block. Despite all that, the movie does find some traction in the second half, just in the nick of time, frankly. The movie's photography is drop-dead gorgeous (filmed in Malta, that stood in as the south of France). The movie features a number of big French movie stars, including Melvil Poupaud and the beautiful Melanie Laurent (as the other married couple) and Niels Arestrup (as the café tender). There is a ton of great music featured in the movie, both in the musical score, as well as French songs from that era (think Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Jacques Dutronc, Sheila, etc.).
"By The Sea" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and since I don't expect this to play in theaters very long, I went to see it right away. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended dismally (4 people, including myself). I can't say it surprised me as the vibe around this movie has not been great. I nevertheless was curious about it (due to a clever trailer, frankly). If you are interested in catching a slow-moving relationship drama that is way off-center, I encourage you this give this a try, be it in the theater (better hurry!), on VAD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.
Couple of comments: this is the third movie in the last 3 years directed by Angelina Jolie (she also wrote the script), but the first one where she directs herself (and Brad). It's been exactly 10 years since Angelina and Brad co-starred (ironically also in a struggling marriage, but of a very different kind!). If it sounds from my introductory lines that a lot is happening in the movie, think again. This is an ultra-slow moving film. You would think that this would allow us to get to know these characters, but alas, that is not the case either. We know virtually nothing as to why the marriage is in trouble, and can only speculate why Vanessa seems depressed, if not worse, and why Roland is experiencing writer's block. Despite all that, the movie does find some traction in the second half, just in the nick of time, frankly. The movie's photography is drop-dead gorgeous (filmed in Malta, that stood in as the south of France). The movie features a number of big French movie stars, including Melvil Poupaud and the beautiful Melanie Laurent (as the other married couple) and Niels Arestrup (as the café tender). There is a ton of great music featured in the movie, both in the musical score, as well as French songs from that era (think Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Jacques Dutronc, Sheila, etc.).
"By The Sea" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and since I don't expect this to play in theaters very long, I went to see it right away. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended dismally (4 people, including myself). I can't say it surprised me as the vibe around this movie has not been great. I nevertheless was curious about it (due to a clever trailer, frankly). If you are interested in catching a slow-moving relationship drama that is way off-center, I encourage you this give this a try, be it in the theater (better hurry!), on VAD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.
Luxuriating in boredom...
moonspinner5517 January 2017
Glamorous married couple in the 1970s--he a writer who can't write, she a retired dancer--vacation at a French hotel overlooking the Mediterranean; he spends most of his time drinking at the local bar while she stretches out on the balcony with a book. 30 minutes goes by without much happening, while the viewer is asked to feast on the lush locale (the film was shot in Malta) and the endless movie star close-ups (which aren't so lush, as neither Brad Pitt nor Angelina Jolie Pitt, who also wrote and directed, look attractive here; she appears gaunt, and they both seem worn out). The couple, bored and prone to bickering, seem to be in a sexual rut, which is temporarily given a reprieve by the discovery of a small hole in the bedroom wall, perfect for peeping on the sexy newlyweds staying next door. Jolie Pitt may have overestimated she and real-life husband Brad Pitt's combined appeal, as their presence in these luxurious surroundings curiously fails to generate any interest, much less sparks. The voyeurism subplot promises drama that never really emerges, mainly due to the one-dimensional screenplay and flat handling. Alas, "By the Sea" sinks. *1/2 from ****
Certainly underrated
Daniel_Skulski20 January 2016
When you see a man or a woman giving a single star out of ten to a movie, stay away from his or hers (or maybe its, you never know - some reviews could be written by bots) reviews: they are the "talibans" of IMDb. They hate or love a movie and never appreciate it with their minds for the real value it may have or not in itself. And mostly, do not trust people who use words like "turgid" in their reviews - they are pedants.
You need a soul to understand this movie and, more importantly, you have to understand how relations are (use to be): difficult, heart-consuming and, sometimes, even strange.
Brad and Angelina played well, the images from Malta were beautifully carved in stone, and yet the movie is not a memorable one. I gave it only 7 stars out of 10.
You need a soul to understand this movie and, more importantly, you have to understand how relations are (use to be): difficult, heart-consuming and, sometimes, even strange.
Brad and Angelina played well, the images from Malta were beautifully carved in stone, and yet the movie is not a memorable one. I gave it only 7 stars out of 10.
grasping for a positive note
ferguson-619 November 2015
Greetings again from the darkness. As a devotee and lover of the cinematic art form, I tend to focus on the positive elements of films, and maintain a near reverent respect for filmmakers who engage in personal projects. Because of this, I typically avoid labels such as "bad" or "good" and instead focus on the experience. Unfortunately, this latest from writer/director Angelina Jolie (billed for the first time as Angelina Jolie Pitt) has delivered a prolonged experience of monotony and misery that can only be described as bad. Or awful. Or even beyond awful.
It's based in the mid-1970's and filmed on the island of Gozo in Malta. The setting is stunningly beautiful, and cinematographer Christian Berger captures the essence of this unique spot with naturalistic lighting and plenty of wide shots of the rocky beaches that provide the foundation for a classy and quaint inn run by Michel (Niels Arestrup, A Prophet). Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Angelina Jolie) are the epitome of an unhappily married couple though they are stylishly dressed while driving their 1967 Citroen convertible.
He is a writer who doesn't write and she is a former dancer who doesn't dance. While he is not writing, Roland sucks down gin, beer and anything else Michel will serve him. Vanessa mostly hangs out in the room popping pills and watching a fisherman in a row boat. When they are together, they rarely speak except to ensure we viewers understand just how miserable they are with a lousy reason that isn't explained until late in the film. Mostly she bats her porn star fake eye lashes while he sports a porn star mustache.
A glimmer of hope emerges when a honeymooning couple takes the room next door. Lea (Melanie Laurent) and Francois (Melvil Poupaud) seem quite happy and enjoy spending time together in bed. We know this because Vanessa discovers a peephole where she can take in the sights. In what is probably the only interesting twist, Lea and Roland are soon sharing peeps a step that somehow begins the process of rebuilding their relationship. Of course, that doesn't happen without many more scenes of misery prior to the quite predictable finish.
Angelina is clearly paying tribute to the 1950's and 1960's French art-house films, but having two unlikable lead characters who can't stand to be in the same room never allows the viewers to connect though she seizes many opportunities to show off her exquisitely rebuilt breasts. The film is entirely too long – and feels even longer – as it squanders a real chance to explore the second stage of marriage. The beautiful scenery and Gainsbourg songs don't come close to making this a movie worth enduring.
It's based in the mid-1970's and filmed on the island of Gozo in Malta. The setting is stunningly beautiful, and cinematographer Christian Berger captures the essence of this unique spot with naturalistic lighting and plenty of wide shots of the rocky beaches that provide the foundation for a classy and quaint inn run by Michel (Niels Arestrup, A Prophet). Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Angelina Jolie) are the epitome of an unhappily married couple though they are stylishly dressed while driving their 1967 Citroen convertible.
He is a writer who doesn't write and she is a former dancer who doesn't dance. While he is not writing, Roland sucks down gin, beer and anything else Michel will serve him. Vanessa mostly hangs out in the room popping pills and watching a fisherman in a row boat. When they are together, they rarely speak except to ensure we viewers understand just how miserable they are with a lousy reason that isn't explained until late in the film. Mostly she bats her porn star fake eye lashes while he sports a porn star mustache.
A glimmer of hope emerges when a honeymooning couple takes the room next door. Lea (Melanie Laurent) and Francois (Melvil Poupaud) seem quite happy and enjoy spending time together in bed. We know this because Vanessa discovers a peephole where she can take in the sights. In what is probably the only interesting twist, Lea and Roland are soon sharing peeps a step that somehow begins the process of rebuilding their relationship. Of course, that doesn't happen without many more scenes of misery prior to the quite predictable finish.
Angelina is clearly paying tribute to the 1950's and 1960's French art-house films, but having two unlikable lead characters who can't stand to be in the same room never allows the viewers to connect though she seizes many opportunities to show off her exquisitely rebuilt breasts. The film is entirely too long – and feels even longer – as it squanders a real chance to explore the second stage of marriage. The beautiful scenery and Gainsbourg songs don't come close to making this a movie worth enduring.
one of a kind
alyaziomar9715 July 2016
I could be one of the few to actually not only like but LOVE this film. The movie conveyed a simple common plot that encounters many couples but it conveyed through the most beautiful cinematography and magnificent scenery which in a way reflected the movie's aspects. I was instantly in love with the film's aesthetic and colors that grabbed by instant attention once the film rolled it opening credits. We rarely find nowadays films that carry such a simple issue told gradually through dramatic and grieving episodes provided from the characters which kept us on edge. And what made me think that this movie can be considered a one of a kind is the way the story was told. I love how they didn't hand out the the reason of the couple's misery right way but instead told us in pieces and eventually spilling the beans at they very end. Overall, the movie was absolutely beautiful with the most amazing breathtaking scenery and color. Not to mention the wonderful dramatic thrilling acting of Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt that depicted the intense misery of the couple.
Not meant to be enjoyable
jcrazevedo7 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The movie wasn't meant to be enjoyable but realistic when it comes to pain, depression, marriage trouble and human personality. The technical quality is incredible from the locations, to photography and fancy wardrobe but the movie goes slowly like the main couple relationship and that is genius because you can feel exactly like Vanessa... bored, depressed, imprisoned. In most of the first third part of the movie, she looks like a paint, immobilized and it was meant to be that way. She acts in a way the character seems to be futile, nasty, nonsense and it's because she doesn't want you to like the character the same way the character doesn't like itself. I didn't like the script that much but it is not that terrible and I think the hidden mystery could be something more consistent... You are there, you feel there is something terrible causing all that pain but when it comes out you think: Was that all? Anyway, I still think it was a good job.
Turgid and borrowed
ferdinand19322 December 2015
The notes of Chopin's Prelude in E Minor at the end neatly summarizes this stale, borrowed and unoriginal film. That prelude is so over used as to be a calling card of sophomore sensibility. Then again, it fits perfectly within the overdone story: the Midi of France, of exile and difference, of finding some true self in a marriage, and of the libido and voyeurism.
The dramatic conceit - if it has one - is owed in part to Godard's "Contempt": the hat that Pitt wears is like Piccoli's in the 1963 film; a struggling writer too, together with the marriage that suffers from some tacit fault line which only the wife knows and can cure.
In "Contempt" it had another cause, in this project it is some delusion which has struck the writer in the vain belief that she can write, and consequently serve a thread of scenes which can be presented as a film.
The first half is turgid and requires some intrigue to hold attention, but instead the audience has the face of Jolie pouting behind huge sunglasses and a Bardot-style brimmed hat with the sulking expression of a 3 year old. Pitt takes over in this portion of the film and drinks heavily and mumbles French. Going to the bar is preferable to the hotel and his wife.
In the second hour the movie wakes up but seems entangled, for no other reason, in a "menage a quatre", to give it some plot and direction. It falls apart quickly though because the writing is inane. Locations, sun and sea, and some unshaven locals fill in the running time, but to be realistic, it hasn't fulfilled anything and it's been pointless.
Then Chopin's prelude is added to the closing images and we comprehend the full mediocrity of the vision.
The dramatic conceit - if it has one - is owed in part to Godard's "Contempt": the hat that Pitt wears is like Piccoli's in the 1963 film; a struggling writer too, together with the marriage that suffers from some tacit fault line which only the wife knows and can cure.
In "Contempt" it had another cause, in this project it is some delusion which has struck the writer in the vain belief that she can write, and consequently serve a thread of scenes which can be presented as a film.
The first half is turgid and requires some intrigue to hold attention, but instead the audience has the face of Jolie pouting behind huge sunglasses and a Bardot-style brimmed hat with the sulking expression of a 3 year old. Pitt takes over in this portion of the film and drinks heavily and mumbles French. Going to the bar is preferable to the hotel and his wife.
In the second hour the movie wakes up but seems entangled, for no other reason, in a "menage a quatre", to give it some plot and direction. It falls apart quickly though because the writing is inane. Locations, sun and sea, and some unshaven locals fill in the running time, but to be realistic, it hasn't fulfilled anything and it's been pointless.
Then Chopin's prelude is added to the closing images and we comprehend the full mediocrity of the vision.
Loved it
lyu-219092 April 2021
I was avoiding this film for a long time, because of the bad reviews. Big mistake. The film is beautiful. Slow, but truthful story about life. Good acting. The story is not about saving the world. It's ordinary, it's about what happens behind the closed door between two people. Love, pain, desire - ordinary stuff!
Asleep and Drowning By the Sea
randallajonas4 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The story lacks substance and moves so very slowly. Or perhaps because there is no story -nothing happens and it seems to take place slowly. Watching Jolie play dress up and lie in bed feeling morose and popping pills is boring. And as the dialogue is vacuous there really is not much good to say about this film. The setting is very beautiful!
We see an alcoholic husband and a depressed wife sitting in a hotel, by the beach and in a café or restaurant. They sleep. She walks. He drinks. And he tries to write. She cries. They fight. The action is pedestrian. The conflict is unexplained and weak.
The film plays out like a spoiled wealthy white couple who have nothing to do by the sea so they drink, take pills and fight and sleep. Nothing happens and what does happen looks like it was written to provide Jolie with opportunities to pose: sitting, standing, looking. This is a film about the troubles people have when they have no troubles.
I like Bradd Pitt and Angelina Jolie but they should have paid a good writer to do their acting skills and chemistry justice. This film comes off as an attempt at copying a 70's artsy Euro style film. It was painful to look at and I am not surprised. Why some actors think that because they can act that they will automatically be good at something else is nothing new.
We see an alcoholic husband and a depressed wife sitting in a hotel, by the beach and in a café or restaurant. They sleep. She walks. He drinks. And he tries to write. She cries. They fight. The action is pedestrian. The conflict is unexplained and weak.
The film plays out like a spoiled wealthy white couple who have nothing to do by the sea so they drink, take pills and fight and sleep. Nothing happens and what does happen looks like it was written to provide Jolie with opportunities to pose: sitting, standing, looking. This is a film about the troubles people have when they have no troubles.
I like Bradd Pitt and Angelina Jolie but they should have paid a good writer to do their acting skills and chemistry justice. This film comes off as an attempt at copying a 70's artsy Euro style film. It was painful to look at and I am not surprised. Why some actors think that because they can act that they will automatically be good at something else is nothing new.
A tender and accurate portrayal
jlshenstone30 March 2016
I won't say what everyone else has said about this film. What I will say is that it was a beautiful portrayal of some of the darker emotions in life.
Maybe others hate to see their own loneliness on screen, by two actors they've deemed unworthy before they've even watched it, or they have never experienced themselves the emotions portrayed in this film.
Melancholia is the last film I can remember portraying depression accurately. This film is the same, though it's not as simple as, she has depression or she is lonely. Her character was real to me and Angelina portrayed her well.
If you've ever met someone and loved them more than they love themselves and despite their own thoughts of themselves then maybe you will feel something when you watch this. If not, there are plenty more films out there for you that require a lot less emotional range.
Maybe others hate to see their own loneliness on screen, by two actors they've deemed unworthy before they've even watched it, or they have never experienced themselves the emotions portrayed in this film.
Melancholia is the last film I can remember portraying depression accurately. This film is the same, though it's not as simple as, she has depression or she is lonely. Her character was real to me and Angelina portrayed her well.
If you've ever met someone and loved them more than they love themselves and despite their own thoughts of themselves then maybe you will feel something when you watch this. If not, there are plenty more films out there for you that require a lot less emotional range.
Too reminiscent of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
lucasversantvoort14 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I can't be the only one who was baffled by this film's trailer: a relationship drama? With Brangelina? Written and directed by Jolie? I just didn't see it working, especially since I've heard conflicting things about her capabilities as a writer/director. By the Sea, while not an outright bad film, suffers from poor story design, rendering the central dramatic twist--and therefore my reason for caring--emotionally inert.
Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Jolie) have been married for 14 years and, for an as of yet unknown reason, have decided to travel the countryside in France. They stop and stay at a coastal hotel. They meet some of the locals, including their recently married neighbors. But all's not well: Roland and Vanessa have drifted apart due to some tragic event and will have to find out whether their relationship can endure.
If the film does something right, it's creating a convincing atmosphere. Jolie opts for a slow pace that allows you, like Roland and Vanessa, to wallow in this little town's dreamy quality and the feeling of being divorced from reality.
The film's central problem, however, is that it's predictable. A vocal, synth-pop orchestral version of Chopin's prelude op.28 no. 4 is tracked over the opening credits. The music was used during Chopin's funeral; that and the music's melancholy quality already told me plenty about what's been plaguing this couple for years on end. This feeling was strengthened by all the things that reminded me of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Burton and Taylor. If you've seen that film, you've seen this one.
The problem is that the film treats the dramatic event that shaped Roland and Vanessa's marriage as a mystery. But it's not especially hard to figure out, with all the similarities to Virginia Woolf, so when the big reveal comes, it doesn't feel like the culmination to an emotional journey. Worse, by scripting the film's central issue as a mystery, the script treats Vanessa like a mystery too which undermines our chances to empathize with her troubles, rendering the climactic scene emotionally inert.
Even stranger is how passive Vanessa is in this regard. Roland practically forces her to face her fears and say what really troubles her (though I don't mean to make Roland look like an abusive husband). He's figured it out already, but needs her to say it too. I can't imagine that basically putting words into someone's mouth is the best way to 'let the healing begin'. I thought that someone has to figure it out 'on their own' with the subtle guidance of the expert. So, not only does the climax lack emotional punch, but it doesn't even feel like she had a say in reaching this enlightenment.
By the Sea isn't the trainwreck I might be making it out to be. The Pitt-Jolie interplay does occasionally yield its own rewards, although I'm not sure whether their playing the leads is simply due to their chemistry or that this is supposed to be their Burton/Taylor-moment. In the end though, it's the film's predictable, Virginia Woolf-esque nature that makes it hard to stay invested in the trials and tribulations of this particular couple.
Roland (Brad Pitt) and Vanessa (Jolie) have been married for 14 years and, for an as of yet unknown reason, have decided to travel the countryside in France. They stop and stay at a coastal hotel. They meet some of the locals, including their recently married neighbors. But all's not well: Roland and Vanessa have drifted apart due to some tragic event and will have to find out whether their relationship can endure.
If the film does something right, it's creating a convincing atmosphere. Jolie opts for a slow pace that allows you, like Roland and Vanessa, to wallow in this little town's dreamy quality and the feeling of being divorced from reality.
The film's central problem, however, is that it's predictable. A vocal, synth-pop orchestral version of Chopin's prelude op.28 no. 4 is tracked over the opening credits. The music was used during Chopin's funeral; that and the music's melancholy quality already told me plenty about what's been plaguing this couple for years on end. This feeling was strengthened by all the things that reminded me of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Burton and Taylor. If you've seen that film, you've seen this one.
The problem is that the film treats the dramatic event that shaped Roland and Vanessa's marriage as a mystery. But it's not especially hard to figure out, with all the similarities to Virginia Woolf, so when the big reveal comes, it doesn't feel like the culmination to an emotional journey. Worse, by scripting the film's central issue as a mystery, the script treats Vanessa like a mystery too which undermines our chances to empathize with her troubles, rendering the climactic scene emotionally inert.
Even stranger is how passive Vanessa is in this regard. Roland practically forces her to face her fears and say what really troubles her (though I don't mean to make Roland look like an abusive husband). He's figured it out already, but needs her to say it too. I can't imagine that basically putting words into someone's mouth is the best way to 'let the healing begin'. I thought that someone has to figure it out 'on their own' with the subtle guidance of the expert. So, not only does the climax lack emotional punch, but it doesn't even feel like she had a say in reaching this enlightenment.
By the Sea isn't the trainwreck I might be making it out to be. The Pitt-Jolie interplay does occasionally yield its own rewards, although I'm not sure whether their playing the leads is simply due to their chemistry or that this is supposed to be their Burton/Taylor-moment. In the end though, it's the film's predictable, Virginia Woolf-esque nature that makes it hard to stay invested in the trials and tribulations of this particular couple.
"By the Sea" should've stayed there.
dave-mcclain7 December 2015
What do you do when you're a Hollywood power couple? You get your passion projects made into films. (You might even choose to write and direct them yourself!) And when you're a beautiful Hollywood power couple? You cast yourselves. (It's a cinematic portrait to remind you when you're old of how good you used to look!) And when you're a beautiful Hollywood power couple who's getting married in the same region where the film you wrote takes place? Well, you make the movie on your honeymoon. (As the French say in accented English, "but of course!") This is how "By the Sea" (R, 2:02) got made.
This movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt – the first film in which she has been so credited and the first time the two have appeared on screen together since Jennifer Aniston's least favorite film, 2005's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", during which the aforementioned couple of stars first became a star couple. As in their previous on-screen pairing, they are in a marriage with serious issues. This time their characters are not trying to kill each other even though it often seems that they want to. Both of these characters are joyless, self-loathing, rude and selfish. There are reasons for some of this, but the main reason is treated in the film as a dramatic reveal, rather than used to greater effect throughout the film.
The movie takes place on the French island of Corsica in the mid-1970s, where the couple is living temporarily in an up-scale hotel overlooking the water. Pitt plays Roland, the writer of a well-received first novel. He's trying to recapture his mojo, but ends up spending most of his time holding a drink. Jolie Pitt plays Roland's wife Vanessa, who is even more sullen than Roland and basically does nothing but sit around hating her life and trying to decide if she hates her husband. Roland spends his days away from their room drinking, trying to write something and talking with the owner of the hotel's restaurant, Michel (Niels Arestrup). Michel is kind and wise, not that it benefits the self-centered Roland much.
Vanessa spends most of her time in a room with no television, so she gets her entertainment by watching through a hole in the wall as their young married neighbors (Mélanie Laurent and Melvil Poupaud) enjoy their honeymoon. Roland and Vanessa both become friends with the couple, because, you know, there's nothing better for a failing marriage than peeping on a sexy young couple who have what you wish you still had and then spending time with them, in various fate-tempting combinations.
This film does tell an honest and revealing story of the dynamics of a marriage in trouble (and hints at how such a marriage might be repaired), but most of the plot is very predictable. The genuinely interesting moments are few and far between, with its slow pace making us feel that the movie is dragging us to those moments. But, hey, at least the Mediterranean scenery is nice to look at.
"By the Sea" basically amounts to a very expensive cinematic photo session for two beautiful Hollywood stars – and we get to pay to be voyeurs! Pitt and Jolie Pitt are both undeniably easy on the eyes, as are Laurent and Poupaud, all of whom we see in varying degrees of nudity (especially the women). There's also no denying that the Pitts are both very talented actors. Their acting chops are on full display in this story, but that doesn't keep the movie from coming off feeling self-indulgent. It doesn't help that the characters Jolie Pitt has written are almost completely unlikeable (even Pitt's character remarking matter-of-factly that his wife is not a good person and that they're both "a**holes"). The script's big reveal is anti-climactic and directed melodramatically, like much of the film. This is a sometimes-interesting, beautifully-filmed movie whose success depends mainly on the appeal of its two big stars. But in this film, they're not very appealing. This is a passion project lacking in passion. "By the Sea" should've stayed there. How do I grade such a movie as "By the Sea"? WITH a C minus. But of course!
This movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt – the first film in which she has been so credited and the first time the two have appeared on screen together since Jennifer Aniston's least favorite film, 2005's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", during which the aforementioned couple of stars first became a star couple. As in their previous on-screen pairing, they are in a marriage with serious issues. This time their characters are not trying to kill each other even though it often seems that they want to. Both of these characters are joyless, self-loathing, rude and selfish. There are reasons for some of this, but the main reason is treated in the film as a dramatic reveal, rather than used to greater effect throughout the film.
The movie takes place on the French island of Corsica in the mid-1970s, where the couple is living temporarily in an up-scale hotel overlooking the water. Pitt plays Roland, the writer of a well-received first novel. He's trying to recapture his mojo, but ends up spending most of his time holding a drink. Jolie Pitt plays Roland's wife Vanessa, who is even more sullen than Roland and basically does nothing but sit around hating her life and trying to decide if she hates her husband. Roland spends his days away from their room drinking, trying to write something and talking with the owner of the hotel's restaurant, Michel (Niels Arestrup). Michel is kind and wise, not that it benefits the self-centered Roland much.
Vanessa spends most of her time in a room with no television, so she gets her entertainment by watching through a hole in the wall as their young married neighbors (Mélanie Laurent and Melvil Poupaud) enjoy their honeymoon. Roland and Vanessa both become friends with the couple, because, you know, there's nothing better for a failing marriage than peeping on a sexy young couple who have what you wish you still had and then spending time with them, in various fate-tempting combinations.
This film does tell an honest and revealing story of the dynamics of a marriage in trouble (and hints at how such a marriage might be repaired), but most of the plot is very predictable. The genuinely interesting moments are few and far between, with its slow pace making us feel that the movie is dragging us to those moments. But, hey, at least the Mediterranean scenery is nice to look at.
"By the Sea" basically amounts to a very expensive cinematic photo session for two beautiful Hollywood stars – and we get to pay to be voyeurs! Pitt and Jolie Pitt are both undeniably easy on the eyes, as are Laurent and Poupaud, all of whom we see in varying degrees of nudity (especially the women). There's also no denying that the Pitts are both very talented actors. Their acting chops are on full display in this story, but that doesn't keep the movie from coming off feeling self-indulgent. It doesn't help that the characters Jolie Pitt has written are almost completely unlikeable (even Pitt's character remarking matter-of-factly that his wife is not a good person and that they're both "a**holes"). The script's big reveal is anti-climactic and directed melodramatically, like much of the film. This is a sometimes-interesting, beautifully-filmed movie whose success depends mainly on the appeal of its two big stars. But in this film, they're not very appealing. This is a passion project lacking in passion. "By the Sea" should've stayed there. How do I grade such a movie as "By the Sea"? WITH a C minus. But of course!
Beware of making a movie with your spouse - especially if one is playing the spouse
rogerdarlington31 December 2016
Located in a remote resort in France (but shot on Gozo in Malta), this story is located in the 1970s, so no computers or smartphones and lots of smoking and drinking plus a veteran sport car.
The focus is almost exclusively on a married couple who clearly have a very strained relationship for a reason which is only explained - and then too briefly - at the very end. The pacing is languid, even soporific, and there is only one person to blame: Angelina Jolie who wrote, directed and stars as an unsympathetic character.
Her co-star as husband is her real-life partner at the time Brad Pitt. Sadly this film seems prophetic since Jolie and Pitt split up soon afterwards and both the movie and its afterward seem to echo "Eyes Wide Shut" with then husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
The focus is almost exclusively on a married couple who clearly have a very strained relationship for a reason which is only explained - and then too briefly - at the very end. The pacing is languid, even soporific, and there is only one person to blame: Angelina Jolie who wrote, directed and stars as an unsympathetic character.
Her co-star as husband is her real-life partner at the time Brad Pitt. Sadly this film seems prophetic since Jolie and Pitt split up soon afterwards and both the movie and its afterward seem to echo "Eyes Wide Shut" with then husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
Nothing can rescue this film from boredom
hethomps10 December 2016
I really tried to give this film a chance, even though I have seen very few positive reviews. Unfortunately, lovely Southern French scenery, stylish 70s ambiance, and two famous megastars couldn't save this plodding, microscopic examination of two of the most boring characters ever created. I simply did not care if the characters in this film lived or died. The only interesting and honest performance is delivered by Niels Arestrup as Michele, the sympathetic bar owner in whom Pitt's character confides while he drowns in drunken self-pity. Angelina Jolie is so bland and expressionless, and Brad Pitt looks like he'd rather be anywhere else except in this film. I've never thought of him or Jolie as particularly strong actors, but when given a passable script, each can usually deliver a reasonable performance Not here, unfortunately. All I can think is this film was just a narcissistic Jolie "vanity project." Seriously, I have seen better films from juniors and seniors in film school. It's galling to think you just need money to produce a film, not real talent.
Star power
n-kefala14 December 2015
To be honest I went to see that movie because of the couple Jolie-Pit, and they didn't disappoint me. It is a film with great scenery - it is actually filmed in Malta - and well acted by them. They are the two of the biggest and sexiest stars on the planet, and it's interesting to watch their romantic problems, but without to take it all seriously. Not much happens, but the glamorous costumes and retro feeling compensating for the lack of drama. "By the Sea" is the third directorial effort by Angelina Jolie and, I really like her work because she's not playing it safe. Overall, it's a movie that worth your attention, even for the star power only.
2 hours of my life I can't get back
bpickell200318 March 2016
I'm not going to bore you with a giant wall of text like others have done. I'm just going to give it to you like I see it. The movie was terrible. There is just no other way to explain it. It starts out boring with horrible acting, and just goes downhill from there.
Save your money and definitely do not buy this movie. I honestly would not spend the buck to red box it either. I'm thankful I didn't have to pay anything to see this giant heap of garbage. Sorry to be so blunt, but the movie is just terrible. I guess if you want to look for the good in the movie Angelina Jolie does soak in a tub if you're into that sort of thing.
Save your money and definitely do not buy this movie. I honestly would not spend the buck to red box it either. I'm thankful I didn't have to pay anything to see this giant heap of garbage. Sorry to be so blunt, but the movie is just terrible. I guess if you want to look for the good in the movie Angelina Jolie does soak in a tub if you're into that sort of thing.
Since I am European, I sort of liked it
dierregi27 October 2019
Some of the reviewers dismissed this movie as being too "European", which is not really explaining anything. However, I am European and I found it interesting, albeit imperfect.
Attractive middle aged couple Jolie and Pitt (Vanessa and Roland), are vacationing in a most beautiful location, allegedly in the south of France. It is actually Gozo and not looking much like southern France (where I spent many summers), but this is irrelevant to the story.
The couple is on the rocks, they hardly speak to each other. Roland drinks a lot, Vanessa lounges. A sparkle of life comes with the newlywed couple who takes residence in the adjoining room of their hotel.
Vanessa spies the couple through a hole in the wall and soon Roland does it, too. This sort of rekindle their sexual life, but there's a dark secret in Vanessa's life and until she acknowledges it, there is no future for the mature couple.
Allegedly a "vanity" project, there is also plenty of Jolie on sight. It would have been better is she restrained herself a bit, but we get plenty of her rather large breasts on her very thin body, and close-ups of her weird, taut facial features. Luckily, we also get some Brad Pitt, to balance the Jolie overexposure.
The mood and atmosphere are melancholic and hypnotic, probably best understood by a more mature audience who already experienced a slump in their relationships. It definitely seems realistic. However, onscreen fractured relationships are much more appealing than real-life ones, especially when portrayed by attractive people.
Attractive middle aged couple Jolie and Pitt (Vanessa and Roland), are vacationing in a most beautiful location, allegedly in the south of France. It is actually Gozo and not looking much like southern France (where I spent many summers), but this is irrelevant to the story.
The couple is on the rocks, they hardly speak to each other. Roland drinks a lot, Vanessa lounges. A sparkle of life comes with the newlywed couple who takes residence in the adjoining room of their hotel.
Vanessa spies the couple through a hole in the wall and soon Roland does it, too. This sort of rekindle their sexual life, but there's a dark secret in Vanessa's life and until she acknowledges it, there is no future for the mature couple.
Allegedly a "vanity" project, there is also plenty of Jolie on sight. It would have been better is she restrained herself a bit, but we get plenty of her rather large breasts on her very thin body, and close-ups of her weird, taut facial features. Luckily, we also get some Brad Pitt, to balance the Jolie overexposure.
The mood and atmosphere are melancholic and hypnotic, probably best understood by a more mature audience who already experienced a slump in their relationships. It definitely seems realistic. However, onscreen fractured relationships are much more appealing than real-life ones, especially when portrayed by attractive people.
Disappointed
dmcatee-9076310 September 2017
The film is about a couple going through the doldrums of their marriage. Actually, lower than the doldrums.
The main characters are unredeeming. The supporting cast is OK, if somewhat wooden. For the most part - the film is about the disintegrated relationship between the two main character, the writer husband and his (former) dancer wife. Actually - that's the only thing this film is about.
While there is improvement in their relationship over the period of the movie - it isn't a dramatic change.
I can't help but wonder if this film was shot in order to give the stars somewhat of a working vacation in France. Also - the gist of the film somewhat mirrors the frustrations going on in the marriage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the time.
Thankfully we borrowed this title from our local library. I would have been disappointed in myself had I have paid to rent or purchase it.
The main characters are unredeeming. The supporting cast is OK, if somewhat wooden. For the most part - the film is about the disintegrated relationship between the two main character, the writer husband and his (former) dancer wife. Actually - that's the only thing this film is about.
While there is improvement in their relationship over the period of the movie - it isn't a dramatic change.
I can't help but wonder if this film was shot in order to give the stars somewhat of a working vacation in France. Also - the gist of the film somewhat mirrors the frustrations going on in the marriage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the time.
Thankfully we borrowed this title from our local library. I would have been disappointed in myself had I have paid to rent or purchase it.
Not your average beach holiday
richard-fieldhouse16 March 2018
A rich seventies couple - Roland and Vanessa, played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie - visit a remote Mediterranean paradise to stay for a while in the hopes that he might get passed his writer's block and she might get over.... something. With him indulging in too much drink and her indulging in too much of absolutely nothing, progress seems to be very poor - at least until a second, younger honeymoon couple arrive at the same hotel.
Judged by its indifferent scores and very underwhelming box office take you might dismiss this film as a vanity project hatched by an actress with more money than talent - but that would be very unfair. In Angelina Jolie's Wikipedia page "episodes of depression" are mentioned and in this film it seems clear that she's addressing these and other demons from her own past even if the basic plot is fictional. This is not the kind of subject matter suited to an entertaining evening with a romantic dinner or after a curry and a pint (substitute non-UK alternatives here if you wish). This never was a film that was even targeted at big box office.
Is it a good depiction of depression? I'm lucky enough not to have personal experience here so I don't know. But I do feel that I learned something and in that Jolie must have succeeded - for that must surely have been her true goal. And I respect her for taking on the challenge.
The film isn't perfect though. Even with the chosen subject matter, the pace is sometimes a little slow and the new interest that Vanessa eventually finds and shares with Roland is a little creepy. (If the gender roles were reversed I'm sure it would be judged as great deal worse than creepy.)
Overall, though, if you feel up to trying to understand something of depression from the inside, this might be a good place to start.
Judged by its indifferent scores and very underwhelming box office take you might dismiss this film as a vanity project hatched by an actress with more money than talent - but that would be very unfair. In Angelina Jolie's Wikipedia page "episodes of depression" are mentioned and in this film it seems clear that she's addressing these and other demons from her own past even if the basic plot is fictional. This is not the kind of subject matter suited to an entertaining evening with a romantic dinner or after a curry and a pint (substitute non-UK alternatives here if you wish). This never was a film that was even targeted at big box office.
Is it a good depiction of depression? I'm lucky enough not to have personal experience here so I don't know. But I do feel that I learned something and in that Jolie must have succeeded - for that must surely have been her true goal. And I respect her for taking on the challenge.
The film isn't perfect though. Even with the chosen subject matter, the pace is sometimes a little slow and the new interest that Vanessa eventually finds and shares with Roland is a little creepy. (If the gender roles were reversed I'm sure it would be judged as great deal worse than creepy.)
Overall, though, if you feel up to trying to understand something of depression from the inside, this might be a good place to start.
Long Haul Movie.
bazookamouth-221-8980975 July 2018
Beautiful scenary and setting. Although nothing really stands out except for the beautiful location. French people in general are not really that friendly so I don't really buy that quick connection with the couple in the next room. In fact speaking of that couple, they were ordinary, irritating French guy thinking only of sex and the flat chested younger French lady who acted like a child in many respects.. Anyway who would want to get to know Angelina and Brad characters in this movie. Both were unlikeable, in particular Angelina. Skeletal Angelina! Also that peephole how the hell did the French couple next door not notice that? Why would you go on holiday to play cards with the foreigners next room? Why did they seem to spend the entire vacation on the balcony or in the room? Why did Angelina want to show off her redesigned boobs so much? What was the point of it all. Who cares. Never want to watch again.
Great movie. Perfect pace for the subject matter. And great, natural acting.
tarekderbas-603-13365021 April 2016
I have actually studied movie direction during my college years. Kindly clear your mind before reading this review and do not buy a single word of those wannabe critics trashing the film for random reasons they'd pulled out of you-know-where. The film has a great, beautifully evolving story. It handles its own subject matter beautifully and in a relevant way. Angelina and Brad act exactly as if it were happening in real life. Scenery is beautiful. Melanie Laurent does great. But most of all, I'd like to praise Angelina for picking such simple but great camera angles and not trying to overdo it, or over-elaborate the direction. The bartender/owner in the movie also did a great job.
Afterall, smarta**es will always say it had been done before unless it's a superhero movie based on their favorite comic books. Life has been done before, idiots. Movies about reality and subject matter like this should be judged on the accuracy and beauty of their portrayal of it, not on whether they break some new grounds by discovering a magical new aspect of reality. Great movie. Watch alone or with your loved ones. Pick a calm and cool type of night. Acting: 10/10 (for realism), Direction 9/10, Scenery 10/10, Casting 9/10 and Editing 8/10. A 9/10 movie for supreme realism.
Afterall, smarta**es will always say it had been done before unless it's a superhero movie based on their favorite comic books. Life has been done before, idiots. Movies about reality and subject matter like this should be judged on the accuracy and beauty of their portrayal of it, not on whether they break some new grounds by discovering a magical new aspect of reality. Great movie. Watch alone or with your loved ones. Pick a calm and cool type of night. Acting: 10/10 (for realism), Direction 9/10, Scenery 10/10, Casting 9/10 and Editing 8/10. A 9/10 movie for supreme realism.
Vistas, voyeurism and vanity
george.schmidt3 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
BY THE SEA (2015) ** Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Melanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Arestrup, Richard Bohringer. Vanity piece written, produced and directed by Jolie with her co-star and real-life husband Pitt (who co-produced) as a '70s era handsome couple on the rocks vacationing in picturesque titular locale in France attempting to deal with their relationship (he with alcohol in trying to get back at begin a writer; she lounging around in anomie and angst) thru voyeurism (espying on newlyweds Laurent and Poupaud). While the impeccable cinematography by Christian Berger is the true star in its beauty it is eclipsed by Jolie's ethereal, brooding presence that manages to make the threadbare plot strung along past its endurance point (say the first hour).
so bad I wanted my money back
eborella6315 November 2015
OK, my friend dragged me to see this because she is a fan of Pitt, I went along and decided to give it a try, oh boy, what a HUGE mistake, even she couldn't finish watching, we left the theater before half of the movie had shown, the movie is boring, the acting is miserable, maybe the team Jolie-Pitt was cute 10 years ago, but now he looks old and fazed and she looks like an skeleton with clothes, but that is not the problem, the acting is, they dwell in a somber note that in the hands of a skilled director and good actors, it could be beautiful and intriguing, but the two actors are so bad that it ruined even the beautiful photography. I wanted my money back, the movie lacks plot, acting and chemistry. I wonder why some actors think that they can make any movie and it would be called artsy, which this movie is not, it is like a canvas was painted by a 3 year old.. sorry I really got bored to death. Awful awful.
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