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DVD Release Date: 3/20/2009
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Set in the insular world of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, TWO LOVERS is a classic romantic drama, with Joaquin Phoenix giving a raw and vulnerable performance as Leonard, a charismatic but troubled young man who moves back into his childhood home following a recent heartbreak. While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Monoshov), Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard's staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family's dry-cleaning business.
Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision – between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love – or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him.
 
Directed by JAMES GRAY
Written by JAMES GRAY
RICHARD MENELLO
Produced by DONNA GIGLIOTTI
JAMES GRAY
ANTHONY KATAGAS
Executive Producers MARC BUTAN
TODD WAGNER
MARK CUBAN
Executive Producer AGNES MENTRE
Co- Producers MIKE UPTON
COUPER SAMUELSON
Dir. of Photography JOAQUIN BACA-ASAY
Editor JOHN AXELRAD
Casting by DOUGLAS AIBEL
JOAQUIN PHOENIX – Leonard Kraditor
GWYNETH PALTROW – Michelle Rausch
VINESSA SHAW – Sandra Cohen
MONI MOSHONOV – Reuben Kraditor
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – Ruth Kraditor
JOHN ORTIZ – Jose Cordero
BOB ARI – Michael Cohen
JULIE BUDD – Carol Cohen
ELIAS KOTEAS – Ronald Blatt
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“IT WILL GET TO YOU. A tender and terrific film with one of Joaquin Phoenix’s best performances. Gwyneth Paltrow is a luminous fusion of grace and grit.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“***** MAKE NO MISTAKE: IT’S ONLY FEBRUARY, AND ALREADY ‘TWO LOVERS’ IS SURE TO GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF 2009.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
“A FILM OF UNUSUAL PERCEPTION, PLAYED AT PERFECT PITCH BY THE ACTORS. The whole movie is so well-cast and performed that we watch it without any particular awareness of ‘acting’.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“*****. FINALLY, THE YEAR’S FIRST SERIOUS AMERICAN MOVIE. Joaquin Phoenix excels like never before.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out NY
“AN ELEGANT AND GRIPPING ROMANTIC DRAMA. Gwyneth Paltrow has never been more intriguing on screen, or more audacious. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is genius. Director Gray reveals an unexpected gift for the mysteries of romance.” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall St. Journal
“IT WELLS WITH SIGHTS AND SOUNDS GUARANTEED TO LIFT, NOT SINK, THE SPIRITS.” – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
“PHOENIX IS MESMERIZING IN A FEAT OF ACTING THAT KEEPS REVEALING NEW LAYERS. GRADE A-.” – Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
“IF YOU’RE TIRED OF SLICK STUDIO MANUFACTURED MOVIES ABOUT ROMANCE AND WANT SOMETHING REAL, THEN I THINK YOU’LL APPRECIATE THIS RAW AND GENUINE STORY OF HUMAN CONNECTION.” – Ben Lyons, At The Movies
“AN AFFECTING DRAMA, FILLED WITH NUANCE AND MEANINGFUL DETAILS.” – Claudia Puig, USA Today
“TWO LOVERS IS THE WORK OF A MATURE, SENSITIVE ARTIST IN TOTAL CONTROL OF HIS CRAFT.” – Scott Foundas, LA Weekly
“The best American drama of the year.” – Steven Zeitchek, Hollywood Reporter
“ADMIRABLY BOLD. There’s something grand about the film’s sincerity and the intensity of its emotions and something fresh and bold about the way director Gray uses the conventions of romantic melodrama.” – A.O. Scott, NY Times
“**** The acting is all first-rate.” – Andrew Sarris, NY Observer
“IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD IT’S AN ADULT FILM THAT WEARS ITS HEART ON ITS SLEEVE. A giant step forward for director Gray and Gwyneth Paltrow. Joaquin Phoenix is one of the screen’s most admirable risk takers.” – Rex Reed, NY Observer
“IT LINGERS IN YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. YOU’RE COMPELLED TO WATCH.” – Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
“If Phoenix does carry through on his threat to leave acting behind for good, he could hardly ask for a more tastefully executed, sweetly melancholy swan song.” – Tasha Robinson, Chicago Tribune
“TWO LOVERS IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. In a season when studios dump their leftovers, a picture like this one shows up with rich characters, a heartfelt story and fine performances.” – Lee Grant, San Diego Union-Tribune
“A THRILLER OF THE HEART - A FILM THAT IS RAW, REAL AND MEMORABLE.” – Dan Bennett, North County Times
“ITS MOOD HANGS OVER YOU FOR DAYS. A quietly moving romantic drama, as evocative as a Phillip Roth story.” – Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Ledger
“IT’S THE FIRST FILM OF THE YEAR THAT YOU MUST SEE.” – Stuart Lee, WNYX TV
“EMOTIONALLY RICH, AUTHENTIC AND PASSIONATE. Gwyneth Paltrow is radiant and Joaquin Phoenix is stupendous in a way he has never been before.” – David Edelstein, New York
“AS ADULT A ROMANCE AS I CAN RECALL FROM RECENT YEARS.” – Marshall Fine, Hollywood and Fine
“***** A MASTERPIECE.” – Michael Joshua Rowin, L Magazine
“An offbeat romantic drama charged with poetic yearning.” – John Powers, Vogue
“A worthy swan song for Joaquin Phoenix. Two Lovers delivers subtlety that befits the Dostoyevsky story it’s based on.” – Details
“***1/2. James Gray is an extremely distinctive director.” – Dan Callahan, Slant
“An involving, touching romantic drama with solid storytelling, craftsmanship and emotional acuity.” – Todd McCarthy, Variety
“If we buy Joaquin Phoenix’s claim that he has quit acting, this role makes us cry, ‘don’t go’.” – Caryn James, Marie Claire
“James Gray has created an important, beautiful and wonderful motion picture.” – Noah Forrest, Movie City News
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