'Two Lovers' review

Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow (Credit: Magnolia)

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After a bad breakup leaves him severely depressed, Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) moves back in with his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov) at their Brooklyn apartment. Hoping to heal Leonard's wounded heart, his parents set him up with a nice Jewish girl, Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of a business associate. But Leonard finds himself drawn to a beautiful neighbor, Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), whose unpredictable behavior captures his heart. The only problem: she's dating a married man (Elias Koteas).

The buzz: "Two Lovers" marks a change of pace for filmmaker James Gray after three consecutive crime dramas, two of which ("We Own the Night" and "The Yards") also starred Phoenix. But the real talk has been spurred by Phoenix, who announced this would be his final film as an actor because he's retiring to focus on a music career. (A career that's already off to a highly questionable start following recent poorly received hip-hop performances that have inspired some to believe it's all just an elaborate hoax.)

The verdict: If the film truly is Phoenix's swan song it's not a bad way to go out. Although the love triangle is overly familiar and the tone overly downbeat, "Two Lovers" is still a well-crafted, intelligent adult drama about characters who refuse to be adults. Phoenix and Paltrow deliver top notch performances as characters whose flaws steer the film away from conventional romance into a study of what one man believes is love.

Did you know? It's possible Phoenix was already plotting the next phase of his career during filming. Watch for the scene where he performs an impromptu backseat rap in Paltrow's car, asking "who's gonna rock the party right?" It's hard to miss.

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