and has no idea that his mistress and his wife are now best friends. Kept in the dark, Paul assumes that Madelyn's rehearsal nights are spent with a mystery lover. Everyone agrees that Lucy has next to no acting talent, but Madelyn ends up coaching her to play The Fool. Madelyn is there only to give Lucy a boost, but one of her confused emotional outbursts so impresses director Rainer (Michael Therriault) that he enlists her to play the leading character. Providing a more amusing subplot is the theater troupe auditioning for King Lear. Keith's foolish behavior alerts his more traditionally jealous wife Lydia (Valerie Mahaffey). When Madelyn admits that her marriage is in trouble, her foolish boss Keith (Gary Piquer) jumps to the conclusion that it's his chance to move in. Paul assumes that Lucy's 3 am calls to Madelyn are from her mystery lover. Rather than popping its cast in and out of bedrooms & closets, If I Were You's farce works out a clever line of logic using crisscrossing cell phone calls. It's no surprise when Joseph Kell's Paul seems interested in his wife only when an unknown other man seems interested in her too. Spanish actress Leonor Watling isn't as soulful as she might be and sometimes comes off as little more than the 'bimbo' referenced in the dialogue. Carr-Wiggin's screenplay tend to circle the Madelyn character.
It's true that the secondary characters in Ms. Madelyn is taking care of a dying mother, and when she opens up her thoughts to her new friend Derek, we share her feelings. The story is anything but serious, yet the people involved are real enough. When the play rehearsals come along our 'confused' heroine turns out to be a natural Shakespearean actress. Madelyn drinks heavily in the first act, which may be a pitch for some easy laughs. She is dumbfounded when Lucy admits to needing to have sex more than once a day.
Little flashes of self-satisfaction zip across her face, followed by dark clouds of pique. The picture requires her to keep secrets while running a double-sided scam on both her husband and his mistress. If I Were You is going to be a fun experience. If you like Marcia Gay Harden, stop reading. But Madelyn doesn't expect to meet the sympathetic, attractive Derek (Aidan Quinn). Just to keep Lucy busy nights Madelyn encourages her to audition for a play. Madelyn also follows Lucy's advice, with the result that Paul is soon convinced that she is having an affair as well. But she doesn't count on developing a friendship with the confused young woman.
Madelyn takes full advantage of her position. As they acknowledge that their emotions cause them to make bad decisions, each woman will advise the other on romantic choices. and talks about her unfaithful husband without identifying him either. Without identifying herself, Madelyn encourages Lucy to divulge every detail about her affair with Paul. A few minutes later she is rescuing Lucy from a suicide attempt. Marketing expert Madelyn (Marcia Gay Harden) is shocked and hurt when she accidentally witnesses her husband Paul (Joseph Kell) sharing a drink with a sexy younger woman, Lucy (Leonor Watling of Almodóvar's Talk to Her). If it weren't for the constant use of cell phones (and they're cleverly used) the story could happen in 1954. The trick is of course finding the right comic tone, and I believe that she and her cast have achieved that. Writer-director Joan Carr-Wiggin doesn't strive for post-modern touches in what is basically a traditional farce about adultery. The actress carries this comic role with the kind of grace that years ago could well have made her a first rank star. It's a conventional romantic comedy with likeable actors led by the versatile but woefully underused Marcia Gay Hardin. If I Were You received a no-release release after making a bright showing at film festivals, probably due to the sheer expense of a present-day distribution campaign.
That's the nature of the movie game these days. It often seems that the combined heft of the film industry pushes yet another comic book blockbuster, leaving by the wayside movies that at least deserve a chance at sleeper-hood. Some deserving movies don't break out of the pack, don't make a splash and don't get their share of attention. Original Music Paolo Buonvino, Guy Farley Starring Marcia Gay Harden, Leonor Watling, Joseph Kell, Aidan Quinn, Valerie Mahaffey, Gary Piquer, Michael Therriault.
2012 / Color / 1:78 enhanced widescreen / 115 min.