Main Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, Peter Krause, Naomi Watts, Sam Charles
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Two marriages and four lives are brought to a crossroads by infidelity in this drama, based on a pair of short stories by author Andre Dubus. Jack (Mark Ruffalo) is a college professor whose marriage to Terry (Laura Dern) has been going through a rough patch. Beyond the tensions over Terry's failings as a mother and housekeeper, Jack is deeply infatuated with Edith (Naomi Watts), the beautiful wife of his best friend, Hank (Peter Krause), a fellow professor and struggling poet. As it happens, Edith is also attracted to Jack, and they soon begin an affair that Edith is certain will soon be found out. Hank, meanwhile, is a man with a flexible attitude about his own fidelity, and he falls into a relationship with Terry. Before long, all four parties learn about the infidelity of their spouses and friends, with differing reactions; Terry becomes desperate to save her marriage, Jack decides he's in love with Edith, but neither couple is willing to divorce. We Don't Live Here Anymore received its world premiere at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, where it was honored with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
John J. Curran's We Don't Live Here Anymore is a chamber piece of a movie that offers an unflinching portrait of two marriages that are each experiencing severe rocky patches. For anybody who enjoys watching actors act, this film offers plenty to savor. Mark Ruffalo and Laura Dern capture the casual cruelty longtime couples can inflict on each other while simultaneously serving up enough self-loathing for behaving that way -- a vicious circle that grows more vicious as the film progresses. Naomi Watts balances fragility and anger with remarkable skill, while Peter Krause manipulates everybody with a potent cocktail of selfishness and intelligence. The filmmakers do a first-rate job of art direction, using the interiors of the two couples' houses to symbolize the state of their respective marriages. The film's cold, controlled tone doesn't allow any air into the film, and the screenplay makes an error by giving the emotional climax to Krause and Watts after giving the majority of the screen time to Ruffalo and Dern. However, those in the mood for a feel-bad look at four deeply flawed humans should find the performers compelling enough to trump the film's flaws. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Sam Charles - Sean Linden; Haili Page - Natasha Linden; Jennifer Bishop - Sharon Evans; Jennifer Mawhinney - Audrey; Amber Rothwell - Lauren; Meg Roe - Lollipop Girl; Jim Francis - Joe Ritchie; Marc Baur - Plumber; Patrick Earley - Jim; Michael Convertino - Musician; Clayton Haslop - Musician; Dennis Karmazyn - Musician; David Low - Musician; Ken Yerke - Musician
Credit
Robert Lee - Art Director, Rick Willoughby - Art Director, Michael Shepard - Associate Producer, Bernadette Meyers - Associate Producer, Michael Carlin - Associate Producer, Ellen Lewis - Casting, Robert Lee - Co-producer, Sanford Rosenberg - Co-producer, Ken Lawson - Co-producer, Katia Stano - Costume Designer, Robert Lee - First Assistant Director, John J. Curran - Director, Alexandre de Franceschi - Editor, Larry Gross - Executive Producer, Mark Ruffalo - Executive Producer, Ruth Epstein - Executive Producer, Tone Rorvik - Hair Styles, Michael Convertino - Composer (Music Score), Lesley Barber - Composer (Music Score), Laurie Parker - Musical Direction/Supervision, Tony Devenyi - Production Designer, Maryse Alberti - Cinematographer, Ken Lawson - Production Manager, Naomi Watts - Producer, Mark Ruffalo - Producer, Harvey Kahn - Producer, Jonas Goodman - Producer, Scott Hinkley - Recording, Dina Zecchel - Set Designer, Lindsay Bucknell - Sound/Sound Designer, Anne Bakker - Sound/Sound Designer, John J. Curran - Sound/Sound Designer, Steve Smith - Sound/Sound Designer, Dan Redford - Stunts, Brett Armstrong - Stunts Coordinator, Anne Bakker - Supervisor/Manager, Jacqueline Cristianini - Dialogue Writer, Larry Gross - Screenwriter, Chris Lambert - Production Assistant, Victor Juralowicz - Production Assistant, Adam Mars - Production Assistant, Don Andrews - Production Assistant, Michelle Everaert - Production Assistant, Juan Acosta - Production Assistant, Juan Pantera - Production Assistant, Stacey Campbell - Production Assistant, Marie Hock - Production Assistant, Virginia May - Production Assistant, Mike Paprocki - Sound Effects Editor, James Ilecic - Additional Editing, Brian Anton - Additional Editing, Brian Campbell - Dialogue Consultant, William B. Kaplan - Music Editor, David Fisher - Music Editor, P. Daniel Newman - Music Editor, Douglas Salkin - Post Production Supervisor, Bernadette Meyers - Post Production Supervisor, Jonathan Wales - Re-Recording Mixer, Paul Sharpe - Re-Recording Mixer, Ian Pattison - Re-Recording Mixer, Mark Klausmayer - Re-Recording Mixer, Natasha Young - Script Supervisor, Cathie McGaw-Russell - Second Assistant Director, Kimberley French - Still Photographer, Steve Smith - Supervising Sound Editor, Tanya Berger - Costume/Wardrobe, Summer Eves - Costume/Wardrobe, K.M. Lowe - Costume/Wardrobe, Adam Sharpe - ADR Mixer, Jacqueline Cristianini - ADR Recordist, Lara Lupish - Assistant Costumer Designer, Jullin Hadden - Assistant Hair, Tone Rorvik - Assistant Makeup, Rich Walters - Assistant Sound Editor, Joshua Stevenson - Assistant Sound Editor, Anne Townsend - Assistant Sound Editor, Eliana Carrillo - Casting Associate, Ruby Fleming - Costumes Supervisor, Audrey Skalbania - Extra Casting, Brian Reilly - First Assistant Editor, Rodrigo Balart - First Assistant Editor, Kathryn Raphall - First Assistant Editor, Shane Shemko - Foley Artist, Cam Wagner - Foley Artist, Dario DiSanto - Foley Editor, James Dean Patten - Key Hairstylist, Rebeccah Delchambre - Key Make-up, Marnie Termuende - Post Production Accountant, Svatia Sakarova - Production Accountant, Josh Plaw - Set Dresser, Dmitry Kazak - Set Dresser, Sarah Martin - Set Dresser, Jilli Geer - Set Dresser, Alison Walker - Set Dresser, Scott Weisenburger - Set Dresser, Thomas Craib - Set Dresser, Brian Lewis - Set Dresser, Rick Vanderkup - Transportation Captain, Randy Caine - Transportation Coordinator, Jonny Swift - Set Decorator, Ed Dobbs - Color Timing, Critics Choice - Craft Service/Catering, Sandy Reynolds - Craft Service/Catering, Stacey Moores - Craft Service/Catering, J.J. Johnston - Driver, Gilles La Plante - Driver, Stefano Chimarios - Driver, Keith Giesbrecht - Driver, Vicki Brown - Driver, Bush Edit House - Negative Cutter, Steve Curran - Title Design, Film Opticals Of Canada LTD. - Title Design, Lee Scott - Assistant Music Editor, Peter Fox - Assistant Music Editor, Leah Weinberg - Assistant Set Decorator, Andre Dubus - Short Story Author
We Don't Live Here Anymore is a 2004drama film directed by John Curran. It is based on the short stories We Don't Live Here Anymore and Adultery by Andre Dubus.
The film's title bears a striking similarity to the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Laura Dern's mother Diane Ladd starred in that movie, and a young Laura can be seen in a cameo.
