MovieChat Forums > Before Midnight (2013) Discussion > As a fan of the first two films, i must ...

As a fan of the first two films, i must say that i did not like this one

posted 11 years ago by gianlu-1
24 replies | jump to latest

I just finished watching this movie and I feel that I need to get this off my chest. Firstly, I'm a really big fan of the first film, and a HUGE fan of the second. The first two movies hold a special place in my heart (especially the 2nd) and I feel that they are truly genius films.

To me, what makes them genius is this: despite the constant conversations of small talk and of minor things, there is a constant major undertone that carries both films.

In the first one, that undertone is this: Will these two young people fall in love by the end of the movie?

This undertone makes the film charming to watch, due to the fact that as Jessie and Celine engage in the small talk conversations they do throughout the film, we see Jessie trying to court Celine and Celine slowly falling in love with him. That undertone grows throughout the film until the question is satisfied at the end: They fall in love. But then a new question arises: Do they meet together again in six months? Ending the film in an interesting way.

The undertone in the second film is this: Will Jessie and Celine reunite and get back together?

Again, this undertone carries the film, so when Jessie and Celine engage in the small talk conversations, the subtle undertone of them getting closer and closer to each other, and falling more and more in love again, grows, until we get our answer at the end in a very ambigious, though satisfying way.

Both films had an undertone that carried the story, that made Jessie and Celine's conversations charming, interesting, funny, and even heartbreaking to watch. That's what made those two films great.

Before Midnight has none of that.

No undertone. The small talk conversations are small talk conversations, the pointless bickering is pointless bickering, the pretentious dialogue about life, love and relationships are just that: pretentious dialogues about life, love and relationships. There is no undertone!!!

With no undertone, there is no story.

The only glimpse of a plot in this movie is Jessie feeling bad for his son, and that he left New York City to go live in Paris with Celine. Since this is the only form of conflict we see in the film, this is the only sort of story we got, therefore the film should have focused on this aspect more.

But it didn't, we just get the beginning at the airport (which, I must admit, WAS a great beginning, and a great way to start the film, the opening with Jessie and his son and then walking out of the airport to find Celine waiting for him at the car with their two daughters was a fantastic opening) and then there ridiculous, totally overblown argument at the end, in which Celine gets furiously angry for hardly any reason.

The film's somewhat ambigious ending seems very forced as well, as if that entire 20 minute argument at the end was nothing but a cheap ploy and setup to end the film in a sort of open way. The entire film has no undertone, no inner conflict, no real plot or story, but then they suddenly drop this huge silly argument on his out of nowhere and over nothing, just so that they can end the film as they did the last two: "Do they stay with each other or do they not?"

Please.

I really wanted to like this movie, especially with all the appalling praise its getting, and even more especially that I am a really big fan of the first two, but, for the reasons I stated above, I just don't find it to be a good movie. A poor conclusion to an otherwise great set of movies.

[–] sbowesuk 11 years ago

Like you I enjoyed the first two movies, but the third, it's just not for me. Too much bitterness and arguing. Even if it leads to resolution, if there's too much of that, it just turns me off the entire movie. I'll never be one of those people who gets off from watching bickering on screen.

[–] idca 11 years ago

I understand that everything is not for everyone but I'm surprised people are saying they think there's too much bitterness and arguing in Before Midnight. I've seen it twice now and neither times did I think so. Of course there were moments of bitterness and arguing but I thought they were nicely intertwined with moments of Celine and Jesse being more loving and lighthearted with each other. That particular way their relationship work, the ebb and flow of how they feel and act towards each other, actually really resonates with me. In my experience at least, that happens in deep and intimate relationships. Celine and Jesse are so close that they in some ways have become like extensions of one another. When you spend so much time together you can't always disguise or mask your mood swings and so you end up doing less to adjust yourself for the sake of your partner. Of course one could see that as a stricly negative thing but I think there's something beautiful about accepting that your partner every now and then will be a little petty, will make comments that you don't like, etc, etc, and that won't have a dramatic affect on you wanting to hold their hand a few minutes following. (I'd say that Jesse adhers to that line of thinking more than Celine though, but maybe that's a different conversation). To me their arguing and their bitterness (probably the root of them arguing) didn't seem excess or insuperable.

[–] msfnyc 11 years ago

I tend to agree. I really liked the first two but this one was a bit too talky for me. Why I felt this way about this one and not the others I am not sure, would have to go back and watch them. My gut feeling is they were less about "problems" and more about possibilities.

[–] robl0051 11 years ago

"My gut feeling is they were less about "problems" and more about possibilities."

well, isn't that just the most perfect description of growing old ever.

sounds like you hated the fact that these films NAILED IT!

[–] sillyhat 11 years ago

I also agree with the original post - I liked the first two a lot but this one just didn't do it for me. It just dragged - too much banal conversation/bickering and a sense that we weren't really going anywhere for a long time. I expected to have it hit a turning point where I'd really get engrossed and really want to dive into the story but it never did. I'm surprised it's gotten the praise it has and I won't belittle anyone who likes it, but it's not of the same caliber of the first two in my opinion.

[–] jobseeker95479 11 years ago

There *is* an undertone to the movie, it is just not the undertone you want to hear only. :-)

[–] pery-1 10 years ago

I agree. It's like Woody Allen's "Interiors" - one long bicker. We get enough of that in real life. We see her trying to end the relationship in various roundabout, irritating ways.

[–] sedaris54 10 years ago

I enjoyed the film, but had major problems with Celine's characterization. I'd give it a 7.5/8 out of 10. Sunset remains the best film in the series.