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Movies / In Theaters / 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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Reviews Counted:64

Fresh:43

Rotten:21

Average Rating:6.1/10

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 source)
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I think there’s something going on here that does feel novelistic, but it feels to me a little like real life. I think Penn makes it worth seeing.

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
11/30/09
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I was interested in the characters and situations, but I was not absorbed.

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
11/30/09
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

[An] intense and claustrophobic drama.

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

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

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

By turns antic, frantic, and dull, Pippa Lee is unconvincing -- emotionally, dramatically, filmically.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
12/04/09
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

"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

Provides a nice role for Robin Wright Penn, but it's a film in search of a tone.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
12/11/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Satisfying, mature drama examines a woman on the verge.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
11/25/09
S. Jhoanna Robledo
S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media

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

Just as The Twilight Saga: New Moon taps into to the sexual yearnings and psychic disturbances of pubescent girls, so does The Private Lives of Pippa Lee for the perimenopausal crowd.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
12/12/09
Beverly Berning
Beverly Berning
culturevulture.net

A midlife crisis unfolds with all the hushed reverence of a visit to an art gallery in The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, a wry, engaging ensemble piece that feels like a throwback to Seventies films such as A Woman Under The Influence.

Full Review Source: Daily Express | comment Comment
07/10/09
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Daily Express

This is not a film about finding easy answers, just brief, often tearful moments of redemption. Miller has performed an impressive emotional balancing act, and one that's often surprisingly funny.

Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
Daily Mail [UK]

It's all very slender stuff and very hard to care about the characters, most of whom whine rather than speak their lines. All in all, it's a life that should have stayed private.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
07/10/09
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [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

This is a flawed film, but the quirks and foibles are what keep it interesting.

Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment Comment
07/10/09
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
Digital Spy

All the midnight bulimic binges, suicide attempts, sleepwalking, marital chicanery, and little pills don't mean a thing compared to the thrill of being a middle-aged woman sneaking through the bedroom window like a teenager in heat.

Full Review Source: East Bay Express | comment Comment
12/15/09
Kelly Vance
Kelly Vance
East Bay Express

Perhaps "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" might have been a stronger film had it focused on a single private life instead of a cornucopia of them.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/11/09
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

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
 
 
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