Though I'm not generally a huge fan of Woody Allen's, I do think he can be one of the best writer/directors working in the industry today. He creates memorable characters who bring real life situations to the screen with wit, power, pain and comedy. He captures true life in all its ugly details and isn't afraid to show it. We all laugh at these situations because we've been there before and are glad it's happening to someone else. HUSBANDS AND WIVES is not always an easy film to watch for two reasons: it's about the slow and painful break-up of a marriage and because it mirrors Allen's own personal life at the time. Filming this could not have been easy for Allen and Farrow. Not only was he leaving her on the screen for a much younger woman, he was also doing it in real life to be with her adopted daughter. Talk about horrible irony. The only reason I bring this up is because you can't watch this film without thinking about it. It's basically his exact thoughts and feelings about his life, which makes it more involving, yet weirdly voyeuristic.

The film is shot like a documentary and opens with Jack (Pollack) and Sally (Davis) telling their best friends Gabe (Allen) and Judy (Farrow) that they're splitting up. This declaration sends Gabe and Judy into a tizzy. They thought they were just going to dinner with old friends. They can't understand how this could happen. They didn't see any signs. Jack and Sally try to plactate them, telling them they're fine with the decision, it's best for both of them now that the children are gone. It opens a Pandora's box of emotions and thoughts the four of them kept deeply hidden for years. We follow the four of them as they each try to make peace with this new transition. Gabe starts to foster a relationship with Rain (Lewis), one of his 20-year-old writing students, showing her his new novel that Judy isn't even allowed to read. Judy tries to fix Sally up with Michael (Neeson), one of her co-workers, though she's really the one attracted to him.