zif ofoz after scanning the numerous other reviewers and their both positive and negative comments there really isn't much i can add to the mix!yes - this is a bit of a complex story. but the story isn't so complex that you get lost following it. i was glued to each character and just what their next move would be. Jonathan takes you in many directions, i think his character was a bit transparent and easy to figure out. but the others kept me guessing and wanting more.the ending can be taken as happy or sad or just leveling out the story. either way this movie is a joy to get involved with. but you must enjoy character studies and how they will live out their role.if this is just a soap opera - it's a very good soap opera!

mikeg994 I was prepared to dislike this film. I feel somehow that too much film has been exposed in and around New York for its own good. I thought: yet another story about the big city and the so called "beautiful" people. Haven't Woody Allen and many others done movies like this enough already? Apparently not.Isabel is a photographer living with her boyfriend, Jonathan and they are planning a big wedding. Jonathan is Jewish and she is a "shiksa" as his Rabbi rather crudely puts it, but that is not the problem. As it gradually becomes clear, Jonathan has been leading a double life. A British journalist who is writing a piece about a famous gay photographer is going about on assignment to talk to people he knew and about a forthcoming book of homo-erotic art photographs. And one of them is Jonathan.Eventually things unravel for Jonathan who is trying to make some kind of transition. Meanwhile Isabel seems vaguely unhappy in her relationship with Jonathan, perhaps because of his sexual ambivalence or perhaps because of wedding jitters and a fear of commitment. They seem to be drifting apart anyway, Jonathan and Isabel. She passes up a wonderful opportunity to work as a photojournalist overseas and gets canned from her portrait studio job because of her wedding plans. It has just royally gummed up her life. Meanwhile her mother, Diana (Glenn Close) is a high-powered actress and dramatic arts teacher at Juilliard. Even in New York it is a small world. Diana also knew the Mapplethorpe like photographer and when the gay British journalist helpfully shows her the pictures at a big dinner party and things really hit the fan.It is an above average film and another New York story. Moral of the story? If you must get naked, for chrissake don't let anyone take pictures. And if you must get married, skip the ceremony. The bigger and more expensive the party the less fun it tends to be for all concerned. As Thoreau once sagely observed "Beware all occasions that require new clothes."

preppy-3 Diana (Glenn Close) is a drama teacher who daughter Isabel (Elizabeth Banks is getting married. She's going to marry Jonathan (James Marsden) but she's not sure if it's what she should do. Her ex Mark (Matt Davis) offers her a job that might be a way out. Actor Alec (Jesse Bradford) auditions for Diana and she becomes attracted to him. And photographer Benjamin Moore is having a show...and all hell will break loose. Got all that? Multi-character drama seriously offers nothing new plot-wise but it's well-written and acted by a great cast. Close leads the way and is superb followed closely by Banks. Even Marsden, Bradford and Davis are good--and I've never really liked any of them. Well-directed with good use of Rufus Wainwright music. There's also a very passionate gay kiss. But seriously...I've seen this all before. These plots have been done in other movies. Still it's worth catching for the acting alone. Recommended.

Adam Langsam Overall the director gives the viewer a taste of each of the lives of the characters in the film. The basis of the film seems to focus on the idea of what is real, and what the characters want to be real and the same for what is fake. The lead, Diana, and her numerous appearances in the film, not just her physical appearance, play an opposition to the significance of Benjamin Stone and his impact that go hand in hand with his identity. Overall all a well done piece for the story that was presented, keeping a viewer absorbed with wanting to find the truth. The acting was above par for the most part. Jesee Bradford does a fine job of keeping himself in confusion as well as the audience. And Glenn Close, well shes Gleen Close, enough said, an excellent performance by and excellent actress. The one comment still in question is the usage of split screens for some scenes. Is this really a necessity for the film?