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Description
From AMG
By Mark Deming
A married couple deals with a crushing loss in a way that's both funny and deeply sad in this comedy-drama from director, screenwriter, and star Stanley Tucci. Don (Tucci) and his wife, Janna (Patricia Clarkson), meet every night in the same shabby nightclub where Don performs a humorously shambolic magic act. Don and Janna's relationship has been on the verge of collapse since the death of their daughter, and they're trying to reconnect with each other through role-playing, so each evening they pretend they're meeting for the first time on a blind date after discovering one another through personal ads. Sometimes they assume characters that are openly confrontational, while other times they try to bring a sweetness and intimacy back into their lives, but more often than not their struggle to reclaim the love they knew ends in confusion and frustration. BLIND DATE was adapted by Tucci and screenwriter David Schechter from Theo Van Gogh's 1996 film of the same name; it was the second in a series of remakes of Van Gogh's films (following Steve Buscemi's INTERVIEW) created in response to Van Gogh's assassination by political extremists in 2004.
Review
From New York Times 09/25/2009
By New York Times Critic A. O. Scott
"Perhaps the most interesting thing about Don and Janna is that they are played by Mr. Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, two wonderful actors....They filmed BLIND DATE on a single set two years ago..."
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