Today begins a new month. Four perfect weeks ahead. Or at least they might be perfect if I let them. I have suddenly realized that, like all of us, most of my troubles are homemade. Except for climate change, about which I can do little. (Still I dutifully rinse out the cat food cans and toss them in the recycling bin, as if that will stop the polar ice caps from melting, the seas from rising or the Red Tide from putting a major dent in Florida's tourist trade. It will do none of those things but it makes me feel like a good citizen, so I do it.)
Anyway, in the count your blessing department, my eyes have been opened to at least one health problem I never had, which is good since I always feel riddled with so many of them, and unfairly. This realization came to light while watching a Netflix movie called Private Life, which offers important messages along with two hours of merciful escape from the dreadful news of the day.
It's about a middle-aged couple who desperately want a baby and can't conceive, in part because Richard (Paul Giamatti) has only one testicle and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) has old eggs. Additionally, both busy with their careers they waited too long, so now, besides blaming one another for the delay, they've got to pay the Piper. Well, not so much the Piper as the IVF docs who require thousands of dollars each month to implant his sperm into her uterus in hopes of creating a new life. No dice.
Simultaneously the adoption route is fraught with heartache leading nowhere, so that Richard and Rachel are willing to try anything. Along comes their niece Sadie (newcomer Kayli Carter), a 25-year-old college dropout with fresh eggs looking for a place to crash. She moves in and it's a heartwarming love-fest from the get-go. Eventually Richard and Rachel hem and haw, then ask Sadie to "donate" to their cause. She agrees. Great? Not so great, it turns out, as Sadie's mom (Molly Shannon) freaks out about the whole deal right in the middle of a family Thanksgiving, attacking the turkey with an electric knife while doing so. Things go downhill from there.
Billed as a comedy, Private Life has lots of sad moments along with plenty of outright laughs if you're paying attention. On the whole it's fun to watch, as it's set in New York City with plenty of street scenes that delight the eye, especially if you've ever lived there. (I have.) Interesting music makes the soundtrack another plus.
Directed by the quirky Tamara Jenkins (The Savages, Slums of Beverly Hills), it's an absorbing story told through a great script and flawless acting, and a pointed reminder that while some women endure actual torture trying to get pregnant, for others -- like me -- it's a cinch. So there's something I can feel good about already, and it's only the first day of February, this perfect new month.
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| Sometimes it takes three to make a baby. |
It's about a middle-aged couple who desperately want a baby and can't conceive, in part because Richard (Paul Giamatti) has only one testicle and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) has old eggs. Additionally, both busy with their careers they waited too long, so now, besides blaming one another for the delay, they've got to pay the Piper. Well, not so much the Piper as the IVF docs who require thousands of dollars each month to implant his sperm into her uterus in hopes of creating a new life. No dice.
Simultaneously the adoption route is fraught with heartache leading nowhere, so that Richard and Rachel are willing to try anything. Along comes their niece Sadie (newcomer Kayli Carter), a 25-year-old college dropout with fresh eggs looking for a place to crash. She moves in and it's a heartwarming love-fest from the get-go. Eventually Richard and Rachel hem and haw, then ask Sadie to "donate" to their cause. She agrees. Great? Not so great, it turns out, as Sadie's mom (Molly Shannon) freaks out about the whole deal right in the middle of a family Thanksgiving, attacking the turkey with an electric knife while doing so. Things go downhill from there.
Billed as a comedy, Private Life has lots of sad moments along with plenty of outright laughs if you're paying attention. On the whole it's fun to watch, as it's set in New York City with plenty of street scenes that delight the eye, especially if you've ever lived there. (I have.) Interesting music makes the soundtrack another plus.
Directed by the quirky Tamara Jenkins (The Savages, Slums of Beverly Hills), it's an absorbing story told through a great script and flawless acting, and a pointed reminder that while some women endure actual torture trying to get pregnant, for others -- like me -- it's a cinch. So there's something I can feel good about already, and it's only the first day of February, this perfect new month.
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