Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz is a glossier ‘Blue Valentine’ set in Toronto hipsterland

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Take This Waltz ***

Sarah Polley is Canada’s cinematic honey; we watched her come of age in many of our finest homegrown films (The Sweet Hereafter, Last Night, The Hanging Garden, Exotica), so it goes without saying that we’re interested in how she refines her voice as storyteller. After touching upon adultery through the prism of an Alzheimer-afflicted woman, wholly unaware of her cheating ways, in Away From Her, her sophomore feature Take This Waltz finds a young woman who can’t quite bring herself to seal the deal with her man of temptation.

28-year-old Margot (Michelle Williams) is a Toronto freelance writer who appears happily married to cookbook writer Lou (Seth Rogen, toning his comedy shtick waaay down). But Margot’s generalized restlessness finds the most dangerous of outlets when Daniel (Luke Kirby) enters the picture. Margot and Daniel cross paths in Nova Scotia, and are shocked to discover, upon sharing a cab ride from the Toronto airport, that they live across the street from one other. Given that the movie is set up in such a way, we’re left wondering whether Margot and Lou’s happy, though at times tedious life together will withstand this ticking time bomb.

There’s lots to like about Polley’s second feature. For one, she manages to portray the loving, at times cloyingly sweet, or alternately unexciting dynamic of folks in a long-term relationship. In that respect, the Williams/Rogen pairing rings achingly true. To those who argue Toronto isn’t an appealing city, Take This Waltz romanticizes the heck out of it, with its gorgeously saturated, dreamy sequences set in hipster-y neighbourhoods, with deep porches and bustling urban life.

Another comedian who successfully dabbles in drama here is potty-mouthed Sarah Silverman, who steals every scene she’s in as Margot’s sister-in-law, a recovering alcoholic with a predilection for blunt wisdom, like “New things get old, just like the old things do.”

Syrupy man candy
But what’s perhaps the biggest disappointment is the Daniel character, who lacks the needed dimension to elevate him above a young woman’s fantasy, full of cutesy quirks and macho/sensitive guy contradictions that are bound to woo Parkdale gals in a heartbeat. He’s a smart, wisecracking painter who’s too self-conscious to expose his work, so instead makes a living riding a rickshaw around town…which, we’re expected to believe, pays the bills on that gorgeous townhouse? But we get it: the man is temptation exemplified, an ever-looming threat to Margo and Lou’s marriage.

So, while the script takes a few unfortunate shortcuts on its way to Margot’s emotional meltdown, it’s nevertheless a compelling ride, one that makes you wonder what qualifies as a solid foundation to a marriage. And Sarah Polley fans won't be surprised by the film's inherent "Canadianness": the characters eat dinner while watching CBC’s The National with Peter Mansbridge, Margot works as a writer for Parks Canada, the couple goes to the Royal Theatre on their anniversary to screen Mon oncle Antoine, a Feist track kicks off Sarah Silverman’s sober party, etc. While it’s at times a bumpy ride, Take This Waltz is a homegrown spin well worth lining up for.

Michelle Williams and Luke Kirby, Take This Waltz

Take This Waltz
Saturday, October 22 at 9:15pm, Fellini
Sunday, October 23 at 9:15pm, Cineplex Odéon Quartier Latin
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