Confusions of an Unmarried Couple (2007) Reviews

• Got my vote at the IUSB IVFF

  Caman-42007-04-25

  I loved this film. I attended the Indiana University of South Bend Independent Video and Film Festival and was so impressed with this film that was created by a couple of great guys (had the chance to speak with them a bit - very genuine). The movie was so funny and entertaining. I already had it in my mind who I was going to vote for for the audience choice award but then I watched this film and changed my vote. Watch it if you can! There were some laugh out loud funny moments. Many actually. The acting was done in such a way that it didn't really seem like they were acting. Some of the dialogue and banter back and forth is just "spot on" with some relationship drama that I have experienced.

• Perfect antidote to cheesy Hollywood rom-coms

  setimerenptah2007-06-19

  Confusions of an Unmarried Couple is like the independent antidote to the sickening Hollywood rom-com. This is a funny and intelligent look at the dysfunctional relationship between two real people, no sugar coating, no bull and lots of laughs. We open with a dishevelled Dan as he lies rotting on the couch, drinking beer, wallowing in bitterness and scratching the days since his break up with Lisa off his calendar. Dan and Lisa were in a relationship, in fact they had just gotten engaged when Dan came home from work one night and caught Lisa in bed with another woman. He left her and we pick up the story a while later when Dan decides to go back and confront her. The film plays out in a series of recorded interviews, documentary style, with both characters and then the main thread of action which focuses on Dan's return to their home and the resulting conversation which quickly descends into an emotional argument. Dan and Lisa are the only two characters in the film but there is easily enough going on between them to hold your interest. The documentary style blurs into the action and is surprisingly effective mainly because the script is really sharp and witty. The film was made by the Butler Brothers, Brett and Jason, and Brett stars as Dan. These guys are genuine independent film makers with very little in the way of budget and other than the music they seem to have done the whole thing themselves. I'd highly recommend this, it made me laugh out loud more than once.

• Confusions of an Unmarried Couple Review

  pants-man2007-05-05

  As a guy who has been in a committed relationship for about two years now, I find myself, like many people out there I am sure, seeking out films and articles or even songs that I can relate to with my own little struggles. The good times, the hard times, the lovey-dovey times. Confusions of An Unmarried Couple displays a pair of people about as far away from my personal relationship as possible - but it is one of those films where you don't have to be either character 100%; you just have to see enough of yourself in them, or in your partner, or in your friends to really understand and feel where the film is coming from. It is an abrupt, to the point, no-nonsense take on one couple and their dealing with an awkward situation where one member was caught cheating on the other. As you can imagine, intense drama is to follow and it most certainly does; but not without hints of comedy here and there. Actually, there are a bit more than just hints scattered throughout. Confusions is actually borderline hilarious. Two people who spend the entire film trying to figure the other person out, their motives and why they did what they did doesn't sound like a laugh riot - but the Butler brothers, the duo responsible for the film, balance it out and deliver one hell of an offbeat comedy. Delivering a film with flashes of Wes Anderson, Woody Allen and even Richard Linklater; showing once again that a film can be about the simple drama between two people and still carry as much life to it as any film with a vast cast of characters. The thing that surprises though is how the film doesn't take itself serious, and yet gives us characters who very much do - and throws them together to combat one another for basically the audience's amusement. I love you, I hate you and I'm going to yell at you until I love you. I wouldn't go about calling Confusions a "quaint" film, but there's something very likable about it and even likable about these characters who ultimately have done horrible things to one another for reasons they aren't even very sure of. Who still, even after months apart, find themselves battling each other simply because they can't let one another go. I am a big fan of high drama split between a small cast of characters, and have always been interested in cinema that felt like it could be taking place right up on a stage in any theater in the world - and that drew me into Confusions of an Unmarried Couple from the start, even when just reading up on it. I have always loved films like The Odd Couple or The Apartment, where the characters were the main focus of the film and the performances were the most important feature. Confusions takes up this cause, and delivers a film that would probably make a spectacular stage play - but one would have to change out all the little intricacies that make this such a "movie". The actually story based segments of the film, where we watch our young couple battle back and forth, is juxtaposed between videotapes of themselves giving interview confusions of just why the relationship failed and why what happened did indeed happen. It isn't explained who is giving the interviews, who is behind the camera or for what reasons; but that isn't really the important part. This is the way the filmmakers truly let us into the world of these characters and our way of better understanding them. Being that the two of them are so confused about one another, and people plan things a lot better than they actually are able to say them aloud - we the audience are left to decipher just what is what in this complex and crazy world of relationships gone sour. Overall, I found myself a big fan of the film and I think the Butler brothers have the opportunity to become either very large and respected figureheads in the independent community or important filmmakers who lay on the outskirts of independence and the Hollywood community. Much like Linklater, Anderson or the Coens. That seems all up to them, as with original ideas and presentation are in short supply in this day and age - and I see great things coming from these guys. I personally can't wait to see more from them.

• a great mix of funny, profound and risqué moments

  tampafilmfan2007-05-04

  Canadian filmmakers Brett and Jason Butler are obsessed with sex. In their film Bums, they chronicled the single guy's Saturday night search for a hook-up. In Confusions of an Unmarried Couple, they take a look at the sexual issues of Dan and Lisa's relationship: the excitement in the beginning, the boredom as time goes by, adultery, lesbianism, breaking up, making up, loneliness and the pre-planning needed to successfully participate in a threesome. Dan and Lisa have broken up because of Lisa's adultery with another woman. After weeks of depression spent sleeping on a friend's sofa consuming too many beers (and not bathing or shaving nearly enough), Dan decides to go back to Lisa's place to reclaim some of his possessions and hopefully a bit of his dignity. This leads to a sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-profound afternoon of their yelling at each other, revisiting old wounds and creating new ones. Interspersed throughout this present-day afternoon fight is confessional video footage of Dan and Lisa shot over the past few weeks since the breakup, where they've each revealed far more to the camera than they ever did to each other. The Butlers' creative use of "chapter breaks" that show past photos of the happy couple and highlight the issues that the couple struggle with (tact, fidelity, maturity) is a unique way to break up the film. These breaks, coupled with the videotaped confessional flashbacks, give the film a whimsical non-linear quality that avoids the potential overkill of watching a couple fight for an hour. Actors Brett Butler (Dan) (who also wrote and co-directed the film) and Naomi Johnson (Lisa) portray this couple realistically and passionately without going over the top. This is not your run-of-the-mill indie comedy-drama, by any means. Confusions of an Unmarried Couple is a unique mix: an engaging relationship drama combined with a risqué sexual comedy, sprinkled with deeply profound observations about sex and dating. In addition to the obsession with sex, this film contains all of the other items I consider to be standard in any Butlers brothers' film: solid writing, creative directing and a great soundtrack. Plus, there's a small homage to John Hughes and an unusual ending. This film is like my favorite candy: a little sweet, a little tart, just the right size, leaves no bad aftertaste, and I want to share it with my friends.

• An all around great flick

  gflute0012007-05-01

  The writing in every one of the Butler Bros. movies is something that you would hear in real life conversations. Saw this movie at the Indie Can film festival here and loved it. Pulling no punches with the language and the situations put onto the screen are things that make this movie a genuine winner. Tons of comedy peppered with great acting and directing, make this something to be watched and talked about. Even though everyone has had a relationship that had gone south for sometimes no apparent reason at all, this one was obvious and funny as hell, and the way that Dan and Lisa deal with it all is great. Another great flick from the Butler Brothers.