Blue Valentine (film)
Encyclopedia
Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film
written and directed by Derek Cianfrance
. The film premiered in competition at the 26th Sundance Film Festival
. Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and Michelle Williams
and Ryan Gosling
played the lead roles. The Brooklyn, New York band Grizzly Bear
scored the film.
Dean is a young high school dropout
, working for a New York City moving company. Cindy is a pre-med student living with her unhappy parents and caring for her grandmother in Pennsylvania
. They meet by chance and rush into marriage after discovering Cindy is pregnant possibly from her previous boyfriend Bobby (Mike Vogel
). Dean agrees to raise Cindy's daughter, Frankie, as his own. Before the wedding Bobby, unaware of Cindy's pregnancy, finds and assaults Dean at his job.
This narrative of their courtship is intercut with that of a weekend near the end of their marriage. By this point, they live in rural Pennsylvania and Dean works at painting houses while Cindy is a nurse. In the hope of resurrecting their troubled relationship, Dean brings Cindy to a motel, but they fight, and Cindy is called away early in the morning to work at the clinic. Dean shows up at the clinic drunk, leading to an intense argument and violent altercation with a doctor, with the latter firing Cindy over the incident. Dean tries to cajole Cindy into giving their relationship another chance due to fear of raising Frankie in a broken home, but Cindy argues that their home is already broken. Dean decides to give Cindy space and leaves, though Frankie runs after him asking him to stay. Frankie is encouraged to return to Cindy while Dean walks off into the distance.
but production was moved to Brooklyn, New York and Scranton, Pennsylvania
. Williams wanted to stay close to her Brooklyn home to take care of her daughter, Matilda, so the director chose Scranton due to its proximity to Brooklyn.
Gosling and Williams improvised dialogue; the scene in which their characters wander through New York together was unscripted, for example, with the actors—who had both appeared in The United States of Leland
(2003) but had not shared scenes—getting to know each other during its filming. Before filming the marriage dissolution between the main characters, Gosling and Williams prepared by renting a home, bringing their own clothing and belongings, buying groceries with a budget based on their characters' incomes, filming home movies and taking a family portrait at a local Sears with the actress who played their daughter, and staging out arguments. Cianfrance visited the actors and assisted them in building tension while remaining in character: "One night he told Gosling to go into Williams' bedroom and try to make love to her. Gosling, roundly rejected, ended up sleeping on the couch."
The film was filmed in Super 16mm and Red One. The former was used for the pre-marriage scenes and the latter was used for the post-marriage scenes.
While on the The Hollywood Reporter Director's Roundtable, Derek Cianfrance pointed out that he gave up his entire director's fee to help fund the film: "I mean, it came down to we were exactly my fee short. They paid me and I just paid it back. So I still have to pay taxes on it, you know. So I actually had to pay to make the movie."
composed the score of the film. A soundtrack for the film was released by Lakeshore Records.
One of the film's feature songs, "You and Me", which is presented as the couple's personal song, was originally recorded as a demo by a group called Penny & The Quarters for the obscure Prix Label of Columbus, Ohio
in the early 1970s. It was re-released on a compilation album by the Numero Group
in 2007 without the members of the group being identified.
section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
. In Australia, the film was released on December 26, 2010 through Palace Films
. In the United States, it was distributed by The Weinstein Company
as a limited release
on December 29, 2010.
The film was released on DVD
and Blu-ray on May 10, 2011. Special features include an audio commentary with Director Derek Cianfrance, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and home movies. The film has grossed $2,625,451 through US DVD sales.
by the MPAA for American cinemas. This was due to a scene depicting cunnilingus
. Gosling accused the MPAA of sexism
and misogyny
. "There's plenty of oral sex scenes in a lot of movies, where it's a man receiving it from a woman - and they're R-rated. Ours is reversed and somehow it's perceived as pornographic", he stated. The Weinstein Company appealed the decision and aimed for an R without any trims to the film, believing the prior decision would significantly harm the film's potential box office take in the United States. The company's appeal was successful on December 8, 2010, and the film received the desired rating.
reports that 88% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 180 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10. The consensus reads "This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn't always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power." On Metacritic
, the film has an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 42 reviews.
Film Project, a competition that awards cash to an outstanding new feature film director overseen by Independent Feature Project.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Derek Cianfrance
Derek Cianfrance
-Biography:Cianfrance earned a B.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Colorado, studying under avant-garde filmmakers Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. At 23, he wrote, directed and edited his first feature film, Brother Tied, which was well-received at festivals including Sundance.His...
. The film premiered in competition at the 26th Sundance Film Festival
26th Sundance Film Festival
The 26th annual Sundance Film Festival was held from January 21, 2010 until January 31, 2010 in Park City, Utah.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - Restrepo*Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - Winter's Bone...
. Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (actress)
Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
and Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark? , Goosebumps , Breaker High and Young Hercules...
played the lead roles. The Brooklyn, New York band Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear (band)
Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band, composed of Edward Droste , Daniel Rossen , Chris Taylor and Christopher Bear . The band employs traditional and electronic instruments...
scored the film.
Plot summary
The film depicts a married couple, Dean Pereira (Gosling) and Cynthia "Cindy" Heller (Williams), shifting back and forth in time between their courtship and the dissolution of their marriage several years later.Dean is a young high school dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
, working for a New York City moving company. Cindy is a pre-med student living with her unhappy parents and caring for her grandmother in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. They meet by chance and rush into marriage after discovering Cindy is pregnant possibly from her previous boyfriend Bobby (Mike Vogel
Mike Vogel
Michael James "Mike" Vogel is an American actor and former fashion model. Vogel began acting in 2001, and has since appeared in several films and series, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Grind, Poseidon, and Cloverfield.-Early life:Vogel was born in...
). Dean agrees to raise Cindy's daughter, Frankie, as his own. Before the wedding Bobby, unaware of Cindy's pregnancy, finds and assaults Dean at his job.
This narrative of their courtship is intercut with that of a weekend near the end of their marriage. By this point, they live in rural Pennsylvania and Dean works at painting houses while Cindy is a nurse. In the hope of resurrecting their troubled relationship, Dean brings Cindy to a motel, but they fight, and Cindy is called away early in the morning to work at the clinic. Dean shows up at the clinic drunk, leading to an intense argument and violent altercation with a doctor, with the latter firing Cindy over the incident. Dean tries to cajole Cindy into giving their relationship another chance due to fear of raising Frankie in a broken home, but Cindy argues that their home is already broken. Dean decides to give Cindy space and leaves, though Frankie runs after him asking him to stay. Frankie is encouraged to return to Cindy while Dean walks off into the distance.
Production
Williams was 21 when she received the script and Gosling committed to the production two years later, but filming did not begin until 2009, when Williams was 27, due to Cianfrance's inability to find financing. The director was also unable to film the "young" and "older" scenes several years apart as he had hoped, again due to lack of money. The film was to be shot in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
but production was moved to Brooklyn, New York and Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. Williams wanted to stay close to her Brooklyn home to take care of her daughter, Matilda, so the director chose Scranton due to its proximity to Brooklyn.
Gosling and Williams improvised dialogue; the scene in which their characters wander through New York together was unscripted, for example, with the actors—who had both appeared in The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland is a 2003 American drama film by director Matthew Ryan Hoge and producer Kevin Spacey about a meek teenaged boy named Leland P. Fitzgerald who has inexplicably committed a shocking murder...
(2003) but had not shared scenes—getting to know each other during its filming. Before filming the marriage dissolution between the main characters, Gosling and Williams prepared by renting a home, bringing their own clothing and belongings, buying groceries with a budget based on their characters' incomes, filming home movies and taking a family portrait at a local Sears with the actress who played their daughter, and staging out arguments. Cianfrance visited the actors and assisted them in building tension while remaining in character: "One night he told Gosling to go into Williams' bedroom and try to make love to her. Gosling, roundly rejected, ended up sleeping on the couch."
The film was filmed in Super 16mm and Red One. The former was used for the pre-marriage scenes and the latter was used for the post-marriage scenes.
While on the The Hollywood Reporter Director's Roundtable, Derek Cianfrance pointed out that he gave up his entire director's fee to help fund the film: "I mean, it came down to we were exactly my fee short. They paid me and I just paid it back. So I still have to pay taxes on it, you know. So I actually had to pay to make the movie."
Musical score
Gosling wrote and performed some songs by himself. The band Grizzly BearGrizzly Bear (band)
Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band, composed of Edward Droste , Daniel Rossen , Chris Taylor and Christopher Bear . The band employs traditional and electronic instruments...
composed the score of the film. A soundtrack for the film was released by Lakeshore Records.
One of the film's feature songs, "You and Me", which is presented as the couple's personal song, was originally recorded as a demo by a group called Penny & The Quarters for the obscure Prix Label of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in the early 1970s. It was re-released on a compilation album by the Numero Group
The Numero Group
The Numero Group is an archival record label that creates reissue compilations of previously released music, reissues original albums, and creates album reconstructions from a variety of musical genres...
in 2007 without the members of the group being identified.
Release
The film was screened in the Un Certain RegardUn Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
2010 Cannes Film Festival
The 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 12 to May 23, 2010, in Cannes, France. The Cannes Film Festival, hailed as being one of the most recognized and prestigious film festivals worldwide, was founded in 1946. It consists of having films screened in and out of competition during the...
. In Australia, the film was released on December 26, 2010 through Palace Films
Palace Films
Palace Films and Cinemas is an Australian film production and distribution company that is also a major cinema chain especially in Melbourne. Palace Cinemas currently comprises 20 cinemas with 85 screens...
. In the United States, it was distributed by The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
as a limited release
Limited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
on December 29, 2010.
The film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray on May 10, 2011. Special features include an audio commentary with Director Derek Cianfrance, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and home movies. The film has grossed $2,625,451 through US DVD sales.
Rating controversy
On October 8, 2010 Blue Valentine was officially given an NC-17 ratingMotion picture rating system
A motion picture rating system is designated to classify films with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content...
by the MPAA for American cinemas. This was due to a scene depicting cunnilingus
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed on a female. It involves the use by a sex partner of the mouth, lips and tongue to stimulate the female's clitoris, vulva, or vagina...
. Gosling accused the MPAA of sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
. "There's plenty of oral sex scenes in a lot of movies, where it's a man receiving it from a woman - and they're R-rated. Ours is reversed and somehow it's perceived as pornographic", he stated. The Weinstein Company appealed the decision and aimed for an R without any trims to the film, believing the prior decision would significantly harm the film's potential box office take in the United States. The company's appeal was successful on December 8, 2010, and the film received the desired rating.
Critical response
Blue Valentine has received critical acclaim. Review aggregation website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 88% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 180 reviews, with an average score of 7.7/10. The consensus reads "This emotionally gripping examination of a marriage on the rocks isn't always easy to watch, but Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give performances of unusual depth and power." On Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the film has an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 42 reviews.
Accolades
In 2006, the script won the ChryslerChrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
Film Project, a competition that awards cash to an outstanding new feature film director overseen by Independent Feature Project.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards 83rd Academy Awards The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ... |
February 27, 2011 | Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
Michelle Williams | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2010 The 22nd Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 2010, were announced on December 20, 2010.-Best Actor:Colin Firth – The King's Speech*Jeff Bridges – True Grit*Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network... |
December 20, 2010 | Best Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... |
Ryan Gosling Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark? , Goosebumps , Breaker High and Young Hercules... |
|
| Best Actress Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... |
Michelle Williams | |||
| Most Promising Filmmaker | Derek Cianfrance Derek Cianfrance -Biography:Cianfrance earned a B.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Colorado, studying under avant-garde filmmakers Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. At 23, he wrote, directed and edited his first feature film, Brother Tied, which was well-received at festivals including Sundance.His... |
|||
| Chlotrudis Awards Chlotrudis Awards 2011 The 17th Annual Chlotrudis Awards were presented March 20, 2011 by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Honoring the best of the past year's independent, documentary and international film, the awards ceremony took place at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Special guest of... |
March 20, 2011 | Best Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and international... |
Ryan Gosling | |
| Golden Globe Awards 68th Golden Globe Awards The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais.... |
January 16, 2011 | Best Actor | Ryan Gosling | |
| Best Actress | Michelle Williams | |||
| Gotham Independent Film Awards Gotham Independent Film Awards 2010 The 20th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards were presented on November 29, 2010.-Best Feature:Winter's Bone*Black Swan*Blue Valentine*The Kids Are All Right*Let Me In-Best Ensemble Performance:Winter's Bone... |
November 29, 2010 | Best Film | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards Independent Spirit Awards 2010 The Independent Spirit Awards 2010 announced its nominees in November 2010. The winners were announced on February 26, 2011.-Best Film :*Black Swan**127 Hours**Greenberg**The Kids Are All Right**Winter's Bone... |
February 26, 2011 | Best Actress Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead The Film Independent's Spirit Award for Best Female Lead is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
Michelle Williams | |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards London Film Critics Circle Awards 2010 The nominees for the 31st London Film Critics Circle Awards, honouring the best in film for 2010 were announced by the London Film Critics Circle on December 20, 2010.-Actor of the Year:*Jeff Bridges – True Grit*Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network... |
February 10, 2011 | Best Actor | Ryan Gosling | |
| Online Film Critics Society Awards Online Film Critics Society Awards 2010 The 14th Online Film Critics Society Awards, honoring the best in film for 2010, were announced on 3 January 2011. -Best Picture:The Social Network*Black Swan*Inception*Toy Story 3*True Grit*Winter's Bone-Best Director:... |
January 3, 2011 | Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor The Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor is an annual film award given by the Online Film Critics Society to honor the best lead actor of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
Ryan Gosling | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2010 -Best Actor:Colin Farrell – Ondine*Aaron Eckhart – Rabbit Hole*Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network*Colin Firth – The King's Speech*James Franco – 127 Hours-Best Actress:... |
December 14, 2010 | Best Actress San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society to honor the finest female acting achievementes in filmmaking.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
Michelle Williams | |
| San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards 2010 The 9th San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2010, were given on 13 December 2010.-Winners:*Best Picture:**The Social Network*Best Director :**Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan... |
December 13, 2010 | Best Actress San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress The San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-2000s:-2010s:... |
Michelle Williams | |
| Satellite Awards Satellite Awards 2010 The 2010 Satellite Awards, honoring the year's outstanding performers, films, television shows, DVDs, and interactive media, were presented by the International Press Academy at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 19, 2010... |
December 19, 2010 | Best Film | ||
| Best Actor | Ryan Gosling | |||
| Best Actress | Michelle Williams |