The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) User Reviews (59)

Portrait of a Marriage

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 5 October 2010]

Pippa Lee, the woman at the center of this story, has come a long way to be this person we first encounter in a suburban setting. Having left Manhattan with her much older publisher husband to the safe haven of a Connecticut peaceful living, makes her reflect on her youth and the way her life has turned out to be.

Coming from a sort of dysfunctional family herself, Pippa Sarkissian led a stormy home life with her ow mother, Suky, an unbalanced woman that left scars in her daughter that will haunt her life forever. Pippa had a wild life when she left home to be on her own in Manhattan. She hung out with a fast crowd, one which introduced her to Herb Lee, then married, who fell in love with Pippa and threw it all away to be with her.

Pippa's past is revealed in the form of flashbacks. After her mother's death she went to live for a while with her lesbian aunt Trish, whose partner, Kat, convinces the young girl to pose for her sado-masochistic photographs with other women. Pippa recollection of the events of her youth come back to mingle with her present stability and somewhat perfect life.

Now, many years later, we find her taking care of Herb, who has dad three heart attacks and although not frail, by any means, is a time bomb waiting to explode. Pippa and Herb have two grown children, Grace and Ben, now living on their own. Pippa's neighbor Dot, has a son, Chris, that never amounted to much. His return causes Pippa's friend concern because he is aimless. Pippa strikes a friendship with this kind soul, something that ultimately seems to bring her to a kind of happiness when she leaves searching for some sort of fulfillment.

The film is based on Rebecca Miller's own novel, which she adapted for the screen. It is a complex story dealing with a woman facing an uncertain future, while reflecting on her own journey to where we find her. She is, as someone calls her, "an enigma", at best. No one can really imagine what she has been through, and no one can claim to really know her well; not even the husband with whom she has spent many years, her children, or her friends. The betrayal of her husband unravels her, changing her life dramatically.

Robin Wright keeps surprising with each new appearance. Her Pippa Lee is an amazing creation. Working with Ms. Miller, the actress does one of her best works in quite a while. Alan Arkin plays Herb Lee, the man that falls in love with the younger Pippa. The most interesting roles are played by women. Blake Lively is seen as the younger Pippa in what appears to be a stretch for this young talent. Lovely Maria Bello appears as Suky, the disturbed mother of Pippa. Keanu Reeves shows up as Chris in an introspective performance from this actor, better known in other genres. Others seen in the film are the great Shirley Knight, Monica Bellucci, Julianne Moore, Robin Weigert, Wynona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, and Mike Binder, among the large cast.

Declan Quinn photographed the production in subtle colors. The musical score is by Michael Rohatyn. Rebecca Miller keeps showing she is one of the new voices in the American independent cinema that has a lot going for herself every time she directs.

Great characters and performances, but slightly lacking in plot.

[aramgutang · 6/10 · 6 June 2009]

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee is a film that concerns itself with the people in it, rather than a narrative. Each character is unique and well developed, but more importantly, feels real and easy to care for. There are no cardboard cutouts or roles simply convenient to the plot. Their actions are delightfully unexpected, yet fully consistent with who they are. Even the minor roles feel like they've had 2 hours worth of backstory thought out for them.

The backstory we get to see is that of Pippa Lee (Penn). She has recently moved into a suburban neighbourhood with her husband Herb (Arkin), a publisher who is at least a few decades her senior. Herb has just retired after having his third heart attack, and intends his new home to be his final resting place. The couple have two grown children and some old friends who are witnesses to what appears to be a facade of marital bliss.

The story of how Pippa ended up in this arrangement, starting with her early childhood, is told concurrently with the main narrative. We learn of Pippa's pill-popping mother (Bello), her aunt's gay lover (Moore), and how she met Herb. Meanwhile, the suppressed malaise in the present time begins to make itself known through a number of events, starting with the overnight disappearance of half of a chocolate cake and the appearance of a sock in the refrigerator.

What is truly remarkable about this film are the performances. Robin Wright Penn gives a stunning portrayal of a woman who seems to say more with a smile than with her words. It might be early in the year, but I would not be surprised to see an Oscar nod come voting time. She is a pleasure to watch, and really breathes air into what could've been a lifeless character.

Alan Arkin is great as usual, and the blunt dialogue of his character suits him well. When Pippa's character tells us she longs to listen to him speak, we are in full agreement. Winona Ryder and Julianne Moore also make their minor characters stand out with quirky delightfulness. Even Keanu Reeves is adequate in his role.

One thing this film seems to lack, however, is a strong narrative. At times, it feels like a loosely bound collection of anecdotes from Pippa's life. While each of these anecdotes have their own appeal and quite a few laughs, they don't quite manage to come together into a compelling story, without which the film is just another forgettable family drama, albeit with really interesting people.

awkward

[magnuslhad · 5/10 · 12 February 2016]

Pippa Lee is 'the perfect artist's wife' who decides one day that she no longer wishes to be an enigma. And so a rather ponderous voice over begins where Pippa tells about the highlights, and lowlights, of her life to date. This is not ironic voice over complementing what we see on screen: we see it, then she tells us what we see. It is symptomatic of a narrative that takes us right inside the protagonist's head and works in many ways as a confessional tale, and yet still manages to keep Pippa at a distance. She has unresolved issues with her mother, and there is one delicately realised fantasy scene where grown up Pippa gets to show photos of her children to her same-age mother. The acting is naturalistic without stretching those involved; only Keanu Reeves character has any real mystery. Pippa's marriage turns out to be a sham, as do her friendships. Her daughter hates her for reasons unknown, then does a 180 and loves her unreservedly - again, for reasons unknown. Here is my drab life to date, says Pippa, but it might be a bit better after the final credits roll. A strange, uninvolving little tale that seems unsure of what it wants to say.

The best type of adult film

[rogerdarlington · 31 July 2009]

This will be regarded as 'a woman's movie' since it is written and directed by a woman (Rebecca Miller) and its central character (Robin Wright Penn) and most of the support roles (Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, Blake Lively, Mario Bello, Monica Bellucci) are women too. But the male roles (Alan Arkin and Keanu Reeves) contribute to a stellar cast and the themes of self-discovery and self-expression are universal. If Pippa is angst-ridden, it's because she's had a traumatic life and the movie reveals a series of dramatic incidents, while concluding on a hopeful note. With not a car chase or a special effect in sight, this is an adult film in the proper sense of the word and as such well-worth viewing.

See it for the cast, if for no other reason

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 29 November 2009]

Pippa Lee, the young wife of a much older publisher, looks over the various stages of her life and tries to come to terms with her life and unhappiness.

This is a really good film with a top flight cast (Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Winona Ryder, even Keanu Reeves) working at the top of their game. I don't think there is a bad one in the bunch. The script is literate and often hysterically funny (The material with Winonna Ryder provides some of the best laughs). Its a film that feels very real and alive, more so than many other recent ensemble pictures that Hollywood has been pumping out. I really liked this film.

Recommended

Many roles, one good performance

[Chris Knipp · 6/10 · 15 December 2009]

Robin Wright Penn first became famous for a starring role in a soap opera, "Santa Barbara." And here she is 25 years later in another one, made for the silver screen this time. Though this movie is from a novel by the director Rebecca Miller (who's playwright Arthur Miller's daughter) and adapted by her, it's very much material for a soap of the old "Valley of the Dolls" variety with desperate housewives, impossibly rich adulterous husbands, mysterious sexy losers, drugs, changed names, a shifting cast, people running off to begin a new life, and so on.

The cast is intriguing. 'Race Matters' author Cornel West and Monica Belluci appear in minor roles; doubtless other celebs are hidden here or there, and the venerable Shirley Knight plays a senior citizen neighbor. Maria Bello (replacing Maggie Gyllenhaal, who dropped out) plays a drug-addled mother in turbulent flashbacks; Winona Ryder (whose personal history is interesting, if not her acting) is a disloyal friend in the present when Pippa has been married for 25 years to a prominent publisher (Alan Arkin). In Seventies clothes, Julianne Moore (in flashbacks) is a lesbian who shoots bondage and discipline photos. Keanu Reeves is the mysterious sexy loser.

Reeves, which may surprise some, gives the movie's only interesting performance, one that's subtle, understated and complex, that implies more than it says. All the others parts are written and acted to scream more than signify. Every so often Reeves does something like this. Why not more often?

The flashbacks are in three segments: dysfunctional childhood; runaway dissolute youth; run-up to marriage. The young Pippa is played by two younger actors. When Penn's costumed and made up in flashbacks to look young, she's almost unrecognizable as the person in the present. Pippa's father, with the strange and unexplained name of Des Sarkissian (Tim Guinee), is a minister. Over time, Pippa discovers that her devouring mom is a suburban speed freak; the daughter is the slave to her mother's mood shifts and must run away. When she does she never goes back, but becomes a drug user herself, though the only scenes dwelt on are of a transitional time with an aunt((Robin Weigert), who turns out to be Julianne Moore's lover -- who, incredibly, is surprised to discover Pippa's being posed in the B&D photos at the apartment. Finally the flashbacks reach the point where Pippa, now a pseudo-bohemian with weird hair and artistic clothing, is taken up by Herb (Arkin), discovered living in a modernistic white mansion by the sea and wearing a hair piece; he's about 55, Pippa 25. He wants to get rid of his wife (Bellucci) but he doesn't have to: she offs herself in front of them (and guests, and the cook, watching from the kitchen) at the lunch table. Some of the party scenes at the seaside pad, more languid than this moment, almost evoke Fellini. Belluci has replaced Ekberg, and we're outside Stanford, not Rome.

Robin Wright Penn, poor thing, has said in an interview, breaking into tears, that this is the most meaningful role of her career. This is because she feels her character is depicted in so much detail. But this is naive. With good writing and acting, a character can be richly shown in scenes set over a few hours or days, while a turbulent back story can provide distraction without enlightenment. None of the lurid blasts from the past shed any particular light on Pippa's present except to say that sometimes women with messy beginnings wind up in conventional and relatively serene marriages. All those melodramatic and colorful scenes mean nothing: they add no insight into the characters. With all the flashbacks, nobody seems real. How Pippa got to be in her present state of sedated uxoriousness with a feisty 80- year-old, what her 25 years of marriage to him were like, raising two grown children, Brian (Ryan McDonald), a young lawyer, and Grace (Zoe Kazan, Elia's granddaughter), a photojournalist working on the front lines: or all this little is said, and less shown.

If this movie had a heart, it would be the present-time dying marriage with Herb (Arkin), whose heart is in shaky shape, though his ego is as robust as ever. At the outset the couple has just moved to a posh Connecticut retirement compound because Herb has recently had three heart attacks. Arkin has his now familiar feisty manner, but his character, still apparently active in publishing even nearing 80, is less simplistic and caricatural than the grandpa in Little Miss Sushine. There are signs that Herb may be losing his marbles, but it turns out to be Pippa who's sleepwalking -- and, new thing, sleep-driving her car to a convenience store where she's rescued by Chris (Keanu Reeves), 35- year-old son of Shirley Knight and staying with her after a meltdown in his life out West. A gentle relationship with Chris develops. He's a somewhat crudely limned Jesus figure, with Jesus actually emblazoned all over his (surprisingly flabby) chest, and a failed attempt to become a Jesuit in his background. But despite these outlines, his understated performance makes him the only person capable of surprising us.

This movie reminded me of the late Walt Stack, longtime president of San Francisco's Dolphin South End Runners Club. "You've got to hand it to us turtles," he used to say at the start of a race. "We're the ones who make you hotshots look good." You've got to hand it to lousy movies like 'Pippa Lee': watching them makes you appreciate the good ones.

Enjoyable display of middle class problems

[revival05 · 6/10 · 7 May 2010]

The thought occurred to me right around the end credits, that I may have very well got it all wrong. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee was a film that I didn't quite get in the beginning, thought I understood after a while but then, right around the end, got confused again.

It might be my high standards or my ruthless elitism but I figured the title of the film must be kind of ironic; it is suggested that there are "private lives" within the one, dull suburban life that Pippa Lee finds herself stuck in. But it seems to me these lives aren't that private at all. Nor are they dangerous or secret. The film tells the story of how Pippa Lee - married to the book publisher Mr. Lee, 30 years older than her - recalls her youth, how she came to marry and how many possibilities really lay ahead of her. In the present, she suffers a kind of identity panic and needs to make her past worthwhile for what future she's got.

But what about the private lives? We learn that Pippa's mother was a pill addict and that she eventually ran away from home. She lived with some lesbian women with a knack for kinky photography. She was doing a lot of drugs (there's a montage) and she liked Mr. Lee for his money. He liked her for... well, who knows, he says she's special but I couldn't figure out what was so special about her. And, so, well, er, what about these private lives?

Young Pippa Lee is played by Blake Lively and middle-aged, present day Pippa by Robin Wright. Mr (Herb) Lee is played by Alan Arkin. Their adult children are played by Ryan McDonald and Zoe Kazan, two young actors I found to be great talents. There's a pretentious younger ladyfriend to the family played by Winona Ryder, there's a pretentious younger boyfriend-aspirant of Pippa's played by Keanu Reeves. Maria Bello plays Pippa's speeded-out mother Suky. Julianne Moore and Robin Weigert are in there, so are Monica Bellucci and Mike Binder. These are all if not great performances then at least greatly amusing ones to watch. Incidentally, Keanu Reeves is the only actor I know of who can say "I love you" and "fish tonight?" and make it sound equally unspectacular.

Basically, the film is an ensemble piece. These actors make the film easily watchable and the slightly soapy plot they are strung into in fact makes it a little hard to stop watching. However, as far as "reading" the film, I am at a bit of a loss still. Directed by Rebecca Miller, based on her novel which I haven't read, I can only speculate what kind of story I'm supposed to receive. As a simple, modest and self-aware telling of, quite middle class, problems it's fine and enjoyable. But I didn't really see any private lives in this film. It was all quite ordinary. Fish tonight?

Character drama about an uninteresting character

[napierslogs · 5/10 · 20 May 2010]

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" is an independent, character drama, with an all star cast, and written by Rebecca Miller, the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller - so what's not to like? Well, Pippa Lee, for one thing.

I found that they gave us no reason to really like or care for Pippa Lee. And the so called private lives seem to be non-existent. Sure, Pippa was a child, then a teenager, then a young adult, now middle-aged and she will grow old - but I failed to see how this was different from everybody else on the planet.

For character drama enthusiasts you will probably need to see this because I'm sure all the buzz it got piqued your interest like mine, but for everybody else there are plenty of other independent dramas out there with actual characters that will pique your interest.

All together one of the best films I've seen in a while

[sunraes · 9/10 · 20 September 2009]

I was expecting this film to follow yet another "troubled housewife that pretends to be content" storyline, and it kind of does. But it plays it out in such an interesting and original manner. Nothing goes as expected, and all of the actors play their parts brilliantly. Blake Lively performs her part so beautifully that it is easy to see she will soon break out of the "Gossip Girl" personality that is so often pinned on her. Keanu Reeves is excellent in his role as well, and Maria Bello, Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, and Alan Arkin show that they are still excellent actors and will continue thriving. But it is really Robin Wright Penn that steals the show in Pippa Lee. She performs naturally and makes her character hold more depth and presence then was imaginable. Only problem I found was the transition between the young Pippa Lee and the older one. I never quite understood how the young became the old, because of the huge differences between the actresses' roles. How did the young Pippa really become the older Pippa? No explanations offered were quite satisfying.

But altogether, this was a fantastic film and I recommend it for everyone with 93 minutes to spare to go see it immediately.

A Nutshell Review: The Private LIves of Pippa Lee

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 14 December 2009]

Similar to Evening, this film examines the life and times of Pippa Lee, played by Robin Wright Penn in her current, older age, happily married to Herb (Alan Arkin) and spending their twilight years in a retirement village, where everything seems perfect with friends and family, but with a series of events that threaten to tear at the fabric of their relationship, one fearful of dying, while the other discovering that her sleepwalking may prove to actually be the least of her worries.

I suppose when one's retire, one will look back and reflect on the life that has so far past by, assessing if it was a life well led, or if there's any last ditch attempt to rectify and address issues before the time is up. For about half the film, the narrative takes a walk down memory lane, and as we know how a woman's heart holds plenty of secrets, so does Pippa's, now played by Blake Lively, watching her lead a life that's aimless, and how she finally found an avenue of attachment to someone older, who provided her with that rudder in life.

The film also touches for the large part on the role of mothers, with Pippa's tumultuous relationship with her mother, a woman reliant on a cocktail of drugs to get through life, and presented an entire series of bewildering emotions and mood swings through which Pippa grew up under. Maria Bello aces this role as the mother, who one minute can be laughing out loud, and the next could be crying her heart out. You can imagine the kind of negative influence she has on the impressionable Pippa, who ultimately in desperation, does what her mother does, only to find herself wanting out, and from there spiraling her life out of control. In the current narrative, it shifts from Pippa's relationship with her own children, how they brought her peace, though still not without the reconciliation that she seeks with her daughter (Zoe Kazan).

Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, part of the draw here is the ensemble casting, from the leads in Alan Arkin (again given some of the best lines here, with hair too to boot), and the bit roles played by Julianne Moore, Monica Bellucci, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves, a thirty-something ex-priest in the making now turned divorcée and working in a convenience store, with whom Pippa forms a strong, inexplicable bond with. While they may be bit roles, each play an important part in the formation of the Pippa character, especially Monica Bellucci as Herb's ex-wife, in a sequence that's quite shocking and unexpected, contributing to the key guilt factor that Pippa finds herself shouldering. Fans of Robin Wright Penn will undoubtedly applaud her turn in this dramatic role.

Then there's the mantra of how we think we know somebody, only for that someone to turn out to be not the person we thought they were. This proved to be a mold that's easily applied to each and every character here, where somewhat negative experiences transforms into one becoming jaded, or be filled with mistrust with people who we think are our friends, only to have betrayal stare right back in our faces.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee turned out to be less than the chick flick I thought it would be, and was quite the powerful drama it was, although I felt that it had room to flesh out more of Pippa's past, which seem to be rather quickly glossed over since it's a steep decline into a drug infused lifestyle. Still it's a decent dramatic film, so while awaiting the loud action blockbusters to reach our shores later this week, you might just want to bask in the calmness of this film instead.

Well-Acted but Uninteresting and Boring Story

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 21 October 2020]

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" is a disappointing film by Rebecca Miller. The direction and the performances are top-notch, but the story is uninteresting and boring. The cast with names such as Robin Wright, Alan Arkin, Winona Ryder, Maria Bello, Keanu Reeves, Julianne Moore, Blake Lively e Monica Bellucci, just to mention the most famous maybe, all of them excellent. But unfortunately, the screenplay is tiresome and goes nowhere, and the insipid character Pippa Lee is not attractive to the viewer. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Vidas Cruzadas - A Vida Íntima de Pippa Lee" ("Cross Lives - The Intimate Live of Pippa Lee")

The two lives of Pippa Lee

[stensson · 8/10 · 14 May 2010]

More and more, Hollywood is checking out the state of those born in the 50s. The former hippies, with their libertarian ways of life, and what happened to them after the backlash. Why are they nowadays so strangely conservative? What made them become like that?

This is an intelligent version of the theme. Many under-texts show us Pippa Lee as the disastrous teenager and young woman, heading into this relationship with this old man, who pretends to see her, but much more sees himself and his sophisticated needs.

Good acting, good thoughts, unforeseeable feelings, but no real answer to the backlash question.

A montage of a life, not gripping or enchanting, but impressive in the pieces

[secondtake · 7/10 · 31 May 2010]

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)

A pastiche. The life of a woman who seems to have found normalcy in her middle age, but we see through a series of dozens of flashbacks and little contemporary snippets what got her there.

It's not a cinematic masterpiece, and it isn't written with what you might call genius (the director knows genius--she's daughter of Arthur Miller). But it's very very interesting, and increasingly so. There are gaffes of casting (Keanu Reeves, besides being a thoroughly lifeless actor, is also not enchanting or mysterious enough to be the foil he's set up to be here), and there is a little bit of laziness, or maybe casual leniency, to the editing. Sometimes the flashbacks are tossed out like candy, other times they dwell a bit too much on something that is clearly sensational for our sakes (the pseudo-porn-fantasy stuff).

In all, we watch and are amused and torn and curious. It won't change your life, or your view of what makes someone tick, and it won't strike you that Rebecca Miller is a director to be reckoned with. Not yet. But it has depth and potential and certainly shows that lead actress, Robin Wright Penn, is amazing at her best.

Good actors, blah film

[jimcheva · 4/10 · 11 November 2009]

(Possible very vague spoiler)

This film is way below its actors, most of whom have been superb in one or more other films, and all of whom are good here (biggest surprise may be Blake Lively, who gets to do some real range here). But the story is yet another falling-apart-to-find-yourself, self-consciously quirky sort-of-redemption tale. More than a little predictable, sometimes telegraphically so, and even the clever quips or sight-gags are a little too soft, a little too slow in coming.

Not a bad film, just not one that left me feeling like I'd lived any new or meaningful bit of life. A genre piece, even if the genre in this case is an indie one.

Almost Woody

[harry_tk_yung · 21 May 2010]

The opening scene looks like something out of a Woody Allen movie – a small dinner gathering of cultured upper middle class people in an upscale Connecticut home. That "Woody feeling" is further reinforced later in the film in a flashback of a romantic encounter between a successful middle-age (and ageing) intellectual and a pretty young thing. It's really more than a flashback, but more like parallel running of two different temporal strands of a story: 30-years ago and now. Herb and Pippa Lee in the "now" sequence are a well-established couple, pushing 80 and 50 respectively, he refusing to acknowledge that one day he is going to die and she dreading the approach of that day. In the "30-years-ago" sequence, he is on top of the world but getting fed up with his voluptuous but eccentric wife while she is a delinquent young woman completely lost in the world of drugs and empty existence.

The movie however is a lot more complex than outlined above, and has a lot more to offer. Pippa's recollection goes beyond her encounter with Herb, right back to her childhood where the substance abuse of her mother left a profound effect in her life. Surrounding her is a large ensemble of characters. Alan Arkin is just about the best man you can find for the co-lead portraying Herb at two different time slots: declining in his dying days and at his matured prime when first encountering Pippa (Sarkissian at the time). Mario Bello is delightful, going all the way in an animated portrayal of Pippa's junky mother Suky (playing mostly against Blake Lively's credible young Pippa). Another veteran obviously having fun is Julianne Moore, as the lesbian lover of Pippa's aunt who took her in when the teenager ran away from home. Reminding you of his role in "Something's got to give" (2003), Keanu Reeves plays 15-years-younger neighbour who develops a romantic relationship with Pippa that stops tantalizingly short of an affair. Winona Ryder might have had her part customized for her, a neurotic neighbour who does have an affair with Herb, thereby dealing Pippa her poetic justice for snatching Herb from his wife 30 years ago. And about said ex-wife, although it's almost a cameo appearance, you'll love seeing the always irresistibly gorgeous Monica Bellucci. Lesser known but with equally solid performance is Zoe Hazan (small roles in "Fracture", "In the valley of Elah", "Revolutionary Road") as Pippa and Herb's no-nonsense daughter Grace. At the centre is of course Robin Wright, playing Pippa with charm, grace, hysterics, sensuality, vulnerability, and a whole lot more.

The movie posts various situations but wisely does not attempt to provide all the answers. To attempt to do so would come across too heavy-handed. Pippa is introduced at the beginning as "an enigma". Although a lot of revelations have been made along the way, when we reach the end, we are still not sure what makes her tick. That's the way it should be, for an entertaining and thought-provoking (in a light way) movie.

In what strange universe

[myfreestuffemail · 6/10 · 12 July 2017]

In what strange universe does an Alan Arkin (and a less rich and less successful Alan Arkin at that...) lead a life where he gets to sleep with Monica Bellucci, Blake Lively, Robin Wright AND Winonna Ryder all in one lifetime??

I was very confused.........

Interesting character study

[ravenclaw_girlrules · 6/10 · 28 May 2020]

I'm not really sure what to think about this movie but it was a decent character study. When a lot of people look at older women, they don't see the full range of experiences those women had in "youth" or that it's even the same person. You don't die when you start to age: I think this movie handled that topic well.

The MC was definitely flawed. She fell for a married man and he ended up cheating on her - it was naive of her to believe he was a faithful person after he'd screwed over another woman to be with her. But everyone is flawed - that's life.

not so private anymore

[tanelteder · 6/10 · 16 January 2011]

This movie is for women. Hundred percent. Guys don't find it interesting enough. It's a drama about a woman who tells story about her complicated life. And it's from the woman's point of view. So guys, skip it. Girls, go ahead and give it a try.

Cast has a quite long list of shiny names. Robin Wright got the lead here, but I mostly enjoyed some good cameos. It's always great to see Keanu Reeves. And Monica Bellucci steals the screen few times cause of her sexiness. Blake Lively is also very pretty here.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee is all about secrets. Secrets which are private. I guess after seeing this one, they are not anymore.

trite

[mar9tin · 2/10 · 17 December 2009]

This is a movie about a young girl called Pippa, in a family with five brothers, her mother hooked on amphetamines, who grows up, in her words, to be a "f**k-up." She is redeemed by an older man attracted to young women, and when Pippa becomes older, turns her in for a newer model. But it is never clear whether the reason for Pippa's condition is nature or nurture. And her husband, the boy next door, her lesbian aunt and girlfriend, her ugly children, and the rest of the characters in the milieu are all superficial and trite, with no apparent bearing on the issue, while the casting and acting is largely poor, and many of the scenes gratuitous, as if the author could not figure out what else to say. The cinematography is good, particularly the time transitions, but all in all, another pointless film that says more about Hollywood, or suburban New York, where it is set, than about real people. It was genuinely painful to watch, tho that may have been the intent. In Italian hands it would have been a very funny sex farce.

Alienation

[TheMara61 · 8/10 · 16 March 2012]

The feeling that we all are crossing paths one versus another, yet not noticing but shadows, not humans, overcame me, viewing for the first time this movie. I will not see the movie again, because of the hard feelings that transcend from each chapter.

Everything here is not about the plot, but about solitude and neglecting the stranger that is passing on your street, walking shoulder to shoulder with you, or living in the same house you live. I have found myself remembering fragments from "The Stand", starring Gary Sinise, 1994, in the end of the movie. Do we need an Apocalypse to make us notice the others, living or passing next to you? Is it more important to enter museums or noticing the way people from other country live their lives, when visiting crossing borders? The whole cast is like a feast, playing their parts wonderfully. I have wondered why a mega star like Keanu Reeves (even controversial), had has accepted this short supporting role. I have thought that he has sensed this about his character: probably the only one meant to bring hope, versatility, and future in the story. My best regards for his talent.

great actresses but meh...

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 1 April 2016]

Pippa Lee (Robin Wright) feels lost after her older husband Herb (Alan Arkin) move them from Manhattan to a Connecticut retirement community. It's a place of quiet death and she's slowing breaking down. They have two adult kids. She befriends young Chris Nadeau (Keanu Reeves). Herb has Sandra Dulles (Winona Ryder). In flashbacks, Pippa Lee reveals her life with her manic-depressive mother Suky Sarkissian (Maria Bello). As a young woman, Pippa (Blake Lively) deals with her unstable mother and runs away to stay with her aunt Trish and her lesbian lover Kat (Julianne Moore).

This is filled with great actresses doing interesting roles. However, it adds up to nothing too compelling. The retirement living infects the movie and makes it feel like slow emptiness. I put it all down to Rebecca Miller's directing. I can certainly sympathize with her need to direct and protect material she wrote. I desperately want to like this for the actors. The movie doesn't have the needed drive. The massive reveal with Monica Bellucci feels more like an afterthought. It's supposed to be the turning point in her life with Herb but her mother seems to be much more of an overwhelming influence. Her moments with her daughter Zoe Kazan are pretty touching. Blake Lively is doing excellent work and Robin Wright is solid with her part. This could be better but it seems to be concentrating on all the wrong things.

Coming of Middle Age

[gradyharp · 5/10 · 8 November 2010]

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE are nothing more than a retrospective of how a bored mother and wife of an aging man longs for the unfulfilled passion of youth. Writer/Director Rebecca Miller ('Proof', 'Personal Velocity', 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose') has unraveled a life grown stale and offers her main character a way out. The film is solid though not all that original but it is saved by some fine work by lead actress Robin Wright Penn.

Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) is a frustrated wife of aging Herb Lee (Alan Arkin) and feels her life slipping away from her when Herb moves them out of Manhattan to a retirement community. Herb is much older than Pippa and their children are now grown and have poor communication with their parents. What happens in the film is a series of flashbacks to her childhood, her drug-tossed teenage years and how she coped with her wholly dysfunctional mother (Maria Bello), keeping her under her thumb until she launches into a life of discovery through her aunt (Robin Weigart) and partner (Julianne Moore), confusing her to the point that she ultimately marries the established publisher, Herb, a man who lacked passion, and now is stuck in a tedious life that makes her have nightmares and sleepwalk. Her only act of escape is an affair with the loner son of a next-door neighbor Chris (Keanu Reeves). As Herb dies Pippa learns the meaning of motherhood at last and begins to sense life re-blooming - if a bit late.

The story is bit lopsided and with time the audience begins to feel the frustration of those around Pippa instead of feeling the frustration of Pippa. But the cast , especially Robin Wright Penn, is exemplary and in the end the film is fairly entertaining.

Grady Harp

Totally worthwhile to watch - thank you!

[CarmaChan · 8/10 · 9 August 2010]

I'm one of the millions who fell in love with these actors years ago, and it was especially wonderful to see Robin Wright and Winona Ryder. LOVE the climactic scene between those two - when Pippa is speaking with her son and Sandra is there and - well, I won't spoil it! Very funny. Great to see Keanu again in an ordinary role, I got so used to Neo/Matrix Keanu, this was a treat for him to play just an average messed up person. I've loved Alan Arkin since WAIT UNTIL DARK - you scared the crap outta me as a child!! Funny thing was, I thought you were Jerry Lewis back then, I was so young, and you looked similar, and it creeped me out, and for a long long time, I couldn't like Jerry Lewis because he was such a bad guy in my mind...grew up and found out it was YOU!! By then, I was mature enough to understand acting. I'll have you know that WAIT UNTIL DARK is in my Top 5 movies of all time, probably #2, and also in my Top 5 is THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE has some memorable lines of dialogue! I won't spoil that experience either - it's a treat to hear them in context for the first time. Great work, Rebecca Miller! The mother of Pippa and how she affected her daughter makes Pippa a fascinating protagonist. I love her struggle, it's such a non-struggle and yet so real and painful a conflict.

Great work, all of you! APPLAUSE!!

Sorry Pippa, i could not care less!

[AmigaJay · 4/10 · 8 April 2023]

A coming of age, melodramatic drama, which doesn't have many redeeming qualities, with no real affection towards the main character, it aims wanderlesly towards an anti-climatic finish.

It may sound pretty harsh on the face of it, but in all truth the movie is pretty dull, the best scenes are with Keanu Reeves in, and they are halve awkward to watch at times.

But other than him, this film is very flat on character and emotion, you don't really care for any of them, which in a melodrama is amazing to not feel that.

No so much private lives - her husband had more private lives than her,

Avoid!

A not so engaging drama

[Gordon-11 · 16 May 2010]

This film is about the disintegration of the life of Pippa Lee, a suburban housewife with a shady past.

"The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" has a very strong cast, and their acting talents are put into full use. However, the story does not seem to go anywhere. I do not find a reason why I should care or feel for Pippa Lee. Bad things happened to her when she was teenage, and bad things happen to her now. But so what? The film gives us no compelling reason why we should care about her life story, which could have been anyone's life story.

I find "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" boring and not engaging. I am disappointed, especially because of the strong cast.