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Movies / Opening / The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

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The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)

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78 %
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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:29

Rotten:8

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Reverential and offbeat, the road trip film Private lives of Pippa Lee takes emotional detours and is elevated by great performances, particularly that of Robin Wright-Penn.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexual content, brief nudity, some drug material and language

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Nov 27, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN) leads a charmed existence. She is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (ALAN ARKIN) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of... From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN) leads a charmed existence. She is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (ALAN ARKIN) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of two grown children, and a trusted friend and confidant to all who cross her path. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staidConnecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test.

In truth, looks are deceiving, and this picture-perfect woman has seen more than her fair share of turmoil in her youth. Embarking on a bittersweet journey of self-discovery, accompanied by a new, strange and soulful acquaintance (KEANU REEVES), Pippa must now confront both her volatile past and the hidden resentment of her seemingly perfect life in order to find her true sense of self.

By turns wry, humorous, and moving, THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name.

Golden Globe nominee Robin Wright Penn and Academy Award® winner, Alan Arkin head an all-star cast that includes Blake Lively as the young Pippa Lee, Maria Bello as her mother, Suky Sarkissian, Keanu Reeves as Pippa’s inscrutable neighbor, Chris Nadeau, Monica Bellucci as the socialite Gigi Lee, triple Academy Award® nominee Julianne Moore as the freewheeling Kat, Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe winner Winona Ryder as Pippa’s trusted friend, Sandra Dulles, Mike Binder as novelist Sam Shapiro and rising stars Zoe Kazan and Ryan as Grace and Ben Lee, Pippa’s young adult children.

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE is adapted from writer-director Rebecca Miller’s novel of the same name. It is produced by Lemore Syvan from Elevation Filmworks, and Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B Entertainment. Executive producers are Winchester Capital, Jean-Luc De Fanti, and The Salt Company partners, Cyril Mégret, Robert Bevan and Samantha Horley. --© Screen Media [More]

Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Monica Bellucci

Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Monica Bellucci, Blake Lively, Julianne Moore, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Mike Binder

Director: Rebecca Miller

Director: Rebecca Miller
Screenwriter: Rebecca Miller
Studio: Screen Media

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Reviews for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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It may be low-key and shallow, but middle-aged angst has never looked lovelier.

Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment Comment
11/25/09
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
SSG Syndicate

The filmmaker is powerfully aided by Robin Wright Penn, who imbues Pippa with moving, quiet dignity.

Full Review Source: Critic's Notebook | comment Comment
11/24/09
Robert Levin
Robert Levin
Critic's Notebook

Probes the midlife crisis of a caregiver who must decide what to do with her life when no one needs her anymore.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
11/24/09
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Wright is the miracle this picture needs, helping the material achieve an emotional tempo it wouldn't otherwise reach without her stellar contribution.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

For a movie about the unpredictability of life, Pippa Lee plays it awfully safe.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
11/24/09
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club

It might be the most purely enjoyable female driven ensemble since Fried Green Tomatoes or A League of Their Own.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

One of the happiest surprises of this woman on the verge delight is that Pippa Lee's private lives are not what you'd think they are.

Full Review Source: The Movie Minute | comment Comment
11/23/09
Joanna Langfield
Joanna Langfield
The Movie Minute

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" doesn't know whether it's a drama, a comedy, or a random slice-of-life expose. Neither will you.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
11/22/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Pippa Lee is conceived as a portrait of a woman's long-delayed emotional blossoming, but its dopey, privileged-set fantasy winds up as obvious as crawling through Keanu's open window.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
11/22/09
Bill Weber
Bill Weber
Slant Magazine

A road movie whose destinations are emotional pit stops... also the platform for an electric performance by Robin Wright Penn who dazzles in the title role

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/17/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

...a solid drama that's consistently elevated by the efforts of the various performers.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
09/12/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

[An] intense and claustrophobic drama.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
08/21/09
Richard Mowe
Richard Mowe
Boxoffice Magazine

A weak central performance would have sunk this film, but Robin Wright Penn makes it work.

Full Review Source: Filmstar Magazine | comment Comment
08/17/09
Anne Wollenberg
Anne Wollenberg
Filmstar Magazine

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee proves that The Ballad of Jack and Rose was no fluke and that Miller can produce work just as good as the best of recent American independent cinema.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
07/10/09
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

Miller, who also scripted, takes a familiar premise but gives it life and originality, repeatedly thwarting expectations with quirky diversions and smart twists.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
07/10/09
Liz Beardsworth
Liz Beardsworth
Empire Magazine

On a scene-by-scene basis, though, it’s classily effective, mainly because of Wright Penn’s skill in nailing the precise tenor of every moment.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/10/09
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out

It's disappointing that a film that starts out explicitly stating its intentions to unpick an enigma ends up continually re-presenting us with a beautiful cipher.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
07/10/09
Hannah Forbes Black
Hannah Forbes Black
Channel 4 Film

The lightly episodic script, the unfussy direction and the other heavyweight actors, Arkin especially, just about cover his tracks.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]

A hugely overegged pudding of a film. It's an indulgent, complacent family comedy-drama.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

Miller's film is a triumph. Uniformly well acted, it boasts a psychologically knowing script, clearly written by a smart, assertive human being rather than a software programme. As for the luminous Wright Penn, awards season beckons.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
07/10/09
David Gritten
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph
 
 
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