Film Review: MILLERS IN MARRIAGE (2024): Edward Burns Returns to Familiar Turf with a Multi-Character Driven Romantic Drama

Millers in Marriage Review

Millers in Marriage (2024) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Edward Burns and starring Morena Baccarin, Julianna Margulies, Minnie Driver, Edward Burns, Patrick Wilson, Benjamin Bratt, Gretchen Mol, Campbell Scott, Brian d’Arcy James, Elizabeth Masucci, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Tricia Alexandro, Paco Lozano and Rachel Issenberg.

Edward Burns’s first Sundance-winning feature, 1995’s The Brothers McMullen, became one of my all-time favorite movies. It was not so great to me because it was breaking new cinematic ground but rather because it was loaded with humor and heart while focusing on the healing power of family. 30 years later, Burns returns with Millers in Marriage, another take on relationships which is razor-sharp but a lot more depressing than the 1995 film. Burns doesn’t have the fairy tale approach to the material that he brought to The Brothers McMullen and the filmmaker has probably discovered (even with his career) that things just don’t work out as one suspects they might. There are valid points in the dramatic story of Millers in Marriage which raise the film to levels that are definitely ambitious even if the film ultimately lacks the requisite edge that was required to make the film an outstanding one.

There are a bunch of middle-aged characters in Millers in Marriage who try out new people (or romantic partners) to see if they can stand to return to their respective lives which they have settled into with a certain level of unhappiness. Burns plays Andy Miller who has spent a great deal of his life with his wife, Tina (Morena Baccarin) who one day abruptly decides that she doesn’t want to waste her life anymore stuck in her marriage with Andy. Now, Andy is seeing Renee (Minnie Driver of Good Will Hunting) but Tina shows up at his apartment as he is spending quality romantic time with Renee. As the plot develops, Andy takes a phone call from Tina that makes Renee quite upset and could be a barrier to romantic bliss between Andy and Renee.

Julianna Margulies plays Maggie who is a writer that is married to a boring author named Nick (Campbell Scott). Maggie wants Nick to write again but he’s stuck in a rut. When Nick reads Maggie’s new manuscript, he discovers that Maggie has taken a great deal of inspiration from their personal lives. Did I mention Maggie is having an affair of sorts with Dennis (Brian d’Arcy James) behind Nick’s back.

There is also a love triangle formed between Andy’s sister, Eve Miller (Gretchen Mol), and a music critic (Benjamin Bratt) who wants to interview Eve against the better judgment of Eve’s husband, Scott (Patrick Wilson). Scott has a drinking problem and shows up at his son’s music audition causing a scene which further distances him from Eve who takes a liking to Bratt’s character. Bratt and Mol’s characters end up at a hideaway cabin together and he likes her a lot. Will Eve return to Scott or fall into Bratt’s character’s arms?

Minnie Driver is fantastic as the new girlfriend of Andy who wants him to commit and stay away from the wife who was unhappy with him. Burns and Driver share some great scenes together that only two pros could pull off as successfully as these performers do here. Burns is surprisingly in top form as he goes back and forth between wanting to start anew with Renee and continuing re-establishing his relationship with Tina.

Despite good performances from the men, the ladies steal the movie out from under the males. Gretchen Mol is sensational as the torn wife who wants to make a difference in her life as she finds herself north of 50-years of age. Eve thinks it will be hard to start over if she chooses to leave Scott but Bratt’s character lets Eve in on the fact that she can choose to start over if she wants to. Julianna Margulies is always sensational and her work here is believable and dramatically relevant. When Nick finishes reading Maggie’s book, Margulies and Campbell Scott have a terrific moment of revelation that certainly packs a wallop. Baccarin is also compelling as Andy’s ex who may just have the power to take her husband right out from under Renee. Driver is perfectly cast as Renee.

There are some problems here. While the drama plays out like an intriguing soap opera, the last scenes prove to be a bit unsatisfying in terms of their dramatic developments. This is no fault of the actors. Burns is certainly on familiar ground here and doesn’t re-invent the wheel but his dialogue has a sharpness to it at certain intervals that really works well on the film’s behalf.

Millers in Marriage won’t be the stand-out of Burns’s career but I liked it. Burns has a different take on family and relationships 30 years after The Brothers McMullen that proves fairy tales don’t always come true in every circumstance. Burns’s writing is fresh and deeply profound in some segments of the movie and the viewer may just find a tear in his or her eye by the time the picture reaches its unsatisfying but emotional conclusion that proves life has a funny way of working out. When I say funny, I mean funny as in interesting, not ha-ha. Millers in Marriage is a powerful reminder that family is always going to be the thread that ties people together and that it’s never too late to take a leap of faith that life can change for the better whether you stay or if you leave.

Rating: 7/10

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