Ted and Marion Cole (Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger) have a young daughter, Ruth (Elle Fanning). She was conceived to "make up" for their two teenage boys who were killed in an automobile accident. Ted deals with his pain by enjoying the ego trip of the success of his children’s books, which he authors, and his lustful modeling sessions with local socialites, whom he paints. Marion is content, for the time being at least, to exist in the luxury of East Hampton doing nothing. Preschooler Ruth goes along to get along by looking at the pictures of the brothers she never knew.

Ted hires Eddie (Jon Foster of "Terminator 3") as a writing apprentice and it’s with this act that the story goes far, wide and deep. It seems that much of what Eddie does is chauffeur Ted rather than focus on writing. Ted has Eddie review his writing and the only change might be a comma to a semi colon one day and back to a comma the next. What is Eddie’s role in this syntax?

As the film opens, Marion is sitting outside the house looking at the bay. Ted brings her a blanket for the cool summer air and a short yet meaningful conversation takes place, which accurately conveys her state of mind. She is a very sad woman though not "clinically" depressed. She’s in a deep funk but she is very clear about what is going on.

Ted suggests that they separate, at least for the summer. He has rented an apartment in town where each of them will alternate staying every other night, while the other parent remains at the house with their daughter Ruth.

Eddie and Marion first meet one to one at the local movie theater and since Ted essentially only offers TV dinners for Eddie, she suggests that one day they get together for an evening meal. They do and while Eddie has a cola Marion has a bottle of white wine.

After two very moving, realistic and hilarious scenes of Eddie masturbating with clothing and images of Marion, she knows what his emotions are for her. Marion needs something too, though it might at first appear to be a funky marriage being tuned up by some frenetic sex with a young college kid. Part of her motivation to make love with Eddie, in enough positions to rival the Kama Sutra, is motivated by the fact that she is mindful that both of her boys probably died without ever having sex. Sex is a part of life…or at least it should be.

The sex scenes in the movie are graphic and delivered with substantial emotional impact. This is a film made for adults. In other movies with sex between an adult of 30 or 40 and a teenager, or someone just barely 21, we’ve been critical of loose morals and Hollywood being unrestrained with the concept of pedophilia (e.g., Tadpole). Here, the relationship between Eddie and Marion is profound and healthy for both of them. It’s the way that life should evolve in real life situations, looking at the positive side of what some might consider a gray area.

There is so much going on in this movie that to get into much more detail would prevent you from sharing the joy we had in seeing the story progress. We knew we liked Bridges and Basinger, but wow, they are just knockouts in this movie. It has the general feel and tone of In The Bedroom but no crime is committed. There are no bad people. In spite of the serious tone, there are a number of laugh-out-loud moments in the film. As in real life, funny things can happen when things are not funny.

George’s’ Take: I’ve been critical of other critics when they see a movie and right away use the word "masterpiece" to describe it. Now I may be guilty of that. The last times I recall feeling this way about a film as the credits rolled were when I saw Shall We Dance (the original from Japan) and Lone Star two of my all time favorite movies. Every word, every scene in this movie has emotional impact. It’s movies like this that make film such a joy to see. That might explain why the screenplay is being offered for sale at the same time as the release of the film.

When Eddie asks Marion to tell him about the accident she says nothing. As we look at her, the silence is powerful. My favorite genre is "coming of age" and while that is true in the traditional sense for Eddie, it’s also true for Ted and Marion. They show you how to get through life. It ain’t easy but you can find away. The acting by Bridges and Basinger is Oscar caliber. She’s an Oscar winner and he’s a four-time nominee. This should earn him a fifth nod. I’ve underrated him in the past because he makes it look so easy.

Pam’s Take: I like seeing women shown in multidimensional ways. Basinger is a mother who makes a decision about motherhood after she concludes she is not a good mom (as Julienne Moore in The Hours). Unlike many films with strong female leads that take decisive action because they are mothers, these women do so because they are women. Elle Fanning, the younger sister of Dakota (Man on Fire), shows that even pre schoolers know what’s going on. Mimi Rogers, as Ted’s model who looses it after he rebuffs her (pun intended), reiterates that one should not be taken for granted. Even the bookstore owner who has plans for Eddie next summer after she learns of his strong libido, shows that people can be patient to get what they want.

Eddie’s summer of changing from boy to man is not your usual infatuation with lots of sex. He knows when something is too good to last and is able to appreciate what he has for a short period of time, with a measure of sadness, but no regrets. It’s a good thing to be able to live in the moment yet plan for the future.