DANNY AND CRYSTAL (Marci of Kaposvar, Hungary)

Picture
Directed by: Nancy Meyers
Written by: Nancy Meyers
Music by: Hans Zimmer

Principal Cast:

John Cusack as Danny Smith
Cynthia Nixon as Crystal Smith
Amanda Seyfried as Lily Love
Robert de Niro as George Hustle

Tagline: ”Sometimes you hurt the one, you love the most!”

Synopsis: Danny and Crystal met on a wedding and two years later they got married. That’s when the problems started. After a time they didn't pay attention to the other. They know that things aren't going on the right way, but Crystal gets a job around this time next to a lawyer and at the begining they say every problem is caused of the Crystal's stressing job. The girl's boss is an older man who tries to abuse her. Crystal obviously so scared of the fact that she can loose her job, that she don't tell anyone about this.

During this Danny works as a car mechanic which doesn't earn much money and looking at the couples financial situation, they live day to day. The 'child-question' doesn't even in their mind, they couldn't support a child, and they don't really make love since a while. In the morning they sometimes don't even say 'hi' to each other. They live in the same house like two strangers.

Time goes past, but nothing changes, although there is something changing but not in the couple's relationship. Danny meets an eighteen-year-old intelligent girl, who is called Lily. Lily has blonde hair, blue eyes, and she is open to everything with the man. Danny starts likeing the girl from time to time. On the night before the fourth wedding anniversary of the couple, Lily and Danny makes love to each other. They become passionate lovers, don't caring about Crystal. 

A year later coming home from the work Danny finds a note on the tabble saying 'I can't take this anymore'. Danny doesn't undestand the message, but he recognizes his wife's handwriting. Half an hour later the police calls to tell that his wife jumped off a four-feet hight building, and dead. Danny feels depressed because of the fact that he was cheating on his wife and he can never move on. He blames himself because of his wife's death.

Press Section: Nancy Meyers is caring about an unusual topic in her new movie. This time we can't get into the secret's of woman soul, but a relationship of a languishing couple. The movie is about a married couple, who's relationship went on the wrong way. One of them (Nixon) is getting into her job, while the husband (Cusack) finds happiness next to another girl (Seyfried).

The movie shows us amazingly a usual story. We have seen many similar movies in the previous years, but the wonder of this movie is in the fact that it's not trying to be special. There are no flying aliens, Avatars, nothing. We can watch a usual story, with normal caracters.

The actors and actresses played amazingly. John Cusack acted strongly, but the script gave obviously more important scenes to Cynthia Nixon's character. Cynthia was amazing! I’m sure that she’s a strong Oscar contender for this performance! The other actress Amanda Seyfried should get a nomination too, because the young acress did her bests. Robert de Niro played good as well. In those few scenes that he was in, he did everything that he could. He was a fresh point of the movie.

Ladies and gentlemans, I raise my hat before Nancy Meyers. She made a really special drama, which has many reasons to be called one of the bests in this category.

Awards Consideration: 
Best Picture 
Best Director: Nancy Meyers
Best Actor: John Cusack
Best Actress: Cynthia Nixon 
Best Supporting Actor: Robert de Niro
Best Supporting Actress: Amanda Seyfried
Best Screenplay – Original: Nancy Meyers