"Flannel Pajamas" opens with the meeting of Stuart and Nicole at a convivial dinner party. Despite Stuart trumpeting his life philosophy in a narcissistic monologue, the romantic portents seem promising, and by the end of the evening they are clearly besotted with each other. The film's Indie credentials are established over the next half hour with some fairly explicit love scenes, which unfortunately add little to either plot or character development. In due course the lovers marry, put on their clothes and start criticizing each other - immediately transforming the erotic intimacy of their bedroom into a place of estrangement. Nicole gripes that Stuart doesn't listen to her and won't talk about his issues - while remaining secretive about her own. With communication and tenderness in short supply, the marriage turns rancid as they persist with their complaints and evasions, until their faces turn sour with resentment.A troupe of peripheral characters come and go, priming the audience for plot-lines that never materialize, leaving "Flannel Pajamas" full of loose threads and soggy with irrelevant material. The script fails to define the couple's essential problem - and while such ambiguity may be commonplace in marriage, it's a questionable recipe for drama. Most viewers will probably have had enough of this tiresome twosome and their endless duplicity long before the curtain falls.

I hated this movie right from the beginning. I had no sense of why these two people would be attracted to each other - I thought they were both physically unattractive and totally self-centered. I could not believe that any independent young woman would accept $15,000 from a man that she hardly knows - and then I see that aha! she's not so independent; she rejoices in getting fired; because she's found a sucker who will take care of her. Never mind that they never seem to agree about anything. This marriage was doomed before it even happened. Actually I think the best line in the movie was when she tells her friend that the bridegroom never said "I do." That pretty much sums it up. They should have both said "I don't." The sexual groping (of which there was a bit too much) was unconvincing. I felt really sorry for both of them, but I didn't like them or anyone else in the movie except for his father who seemed like a decent guy who was maybe in the wrong movie.

I was first introduced to this movie by seeing the trailer every time we went to see a movie at The Angelika in the past month or two. That trailer captured my attention for two reasons: the intensity and honesty I saw on the faces of the actors, and the over-modulation of the musical score which rang to the point of distortion. Regardless, it seemed clear this was a movie we were going to go see when it came out. A talky movie following a failed relationship? Sounded like my life (a few times over)! I suppose how much you enjoy this movie depends on what you expect to get out of it. There is no great resolution, no massive personal growth or moment of sudden clarity. Like any relationship which ends, it all depends on how you look at it. You can continue to expand the picture until it all loses focus, or you can narrow in on single moments. There is no right and wrong.The film follows the relationship of Stuart and Nicole (Justin Kirk and Julianne Nicholson) from meeting on a blind date to dating to marriage and ultimately to separation. Stuart basically sets the stage for the relationship when he declares at the first date that neither he nor Nicole are "evil" (a term he uses to describe Nicole's best friend). He's right - they aren't, they are two kind people who love each other (in some ways) and who want to build a life with each other. Yet throughout the film it becomes clear that love alone is not enough to sustain a relationship. Much like real life, the film is a collection of scenes where people do what they feel is right at the time, even what the think will be right in the future...but good intentions can't erase the facts that often we develop relationships with people who simply aren't suited for us. A successful relationship requires love, commitment, hard work, understanding, and more than anything similar direction and similar priorities.Maybe Stuart and Nicole and both a bit too selfish - they both seem to act out of pure self-interest, Nicole using "I want" frequently and Stuart setting down his own rules and agendas and expecting Nicole to follow them. Perhaps they each carry too much baggage. They both give in to each other without really meaning it, the kind of actions which result in built-up resentment. More than anything, I noticed that the characters refuse to cry in front of each other. To me, that was enough to doom the relationship.In a Q&A session after the film, writer/director Jeff Lipsky explained that they deleted more than 50 scenes in an effort to keep both characters on a rather even playing field. His greatest reward is that people leave the theater arguing over who is more to blame for the failure of the relationship. And those arguments are not split by gender. In the end, there is more than enough blame to go around. The story is about 50% quasi-autobiographical, but the most powerful scenes are fictional (such as the conversation between mother-in-law and son-in-law in the cafeteria).The performances are all strong, and particular attention is paid to Stuart's brother Jordan (Jamie Harrold), who is mentally unstable and quite flamboyant, often overshadowing his sibling. I'm a bit too much like that character though, and with a nice collection of funny lines he is the hardest to dislike. Personally I preferred the performances of Nicholson and of her mother (played by Rebecca Schull).Overall the film is quite good, certainly successful in its own way, and it stays with you...some people might not appreciate that, but I do. As Mr. Lipsky says, he wanted to give you "something to chew on". He accomplishes that, and more.Oh, and as the credits ran, there was the same haunting song from the trailer...and the damn thing was STILL over-modulated to the point of semi-distortion.

Just saw this at Cinema Arts in Huntington NY and I wonder why the negative comments are so nasty. This film is exactly what it claims to be - an independent film, made with limited resources by hardworking actors who give it their all. While all the characters may not be appealing, they are all interesting and have something to say. The younger brother (Jordan), for example, was fascinating. The two leads were excellent and had chemistry that is hard to find in so called major movies. Nicole may have had one or two too many nude scenes, but that's OK. Justin Kirk really caught his character and his dialogue and delivery was excellent. The film could be 20 minutes shorter with tighter editing and might be more enjoyable and have fewer head-scratching scenes. What was the conversation between the mother and the husband in the hospital cafeteria all about and where did it lead to? All in all a six or seven and worth seeing, in my opinion.