X
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 1 h 38 m
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 1 h 38 m
Summary Anders Hill, long ensconced in "the land of steady habits"-the affluent hamlets of Connecticut that dot the commuter rail line-is finally ready to reap the rewards of a sensible life. Into his mid fifties and newly retired, his grown son's college tuitions paid in full, Anders decides he's had enough of steady habits: he leaves his wife,...
Directed By: Nicole Holofcener
Written By: Ted Thompson, Nicole Holofcener
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 1 h 38 m
- 2018
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 1 h 38 m
The Land of Steady Habits
71
6.0
Where to Watch
Summary Anders Hill, long ensconced in "the land of steady habits"-the affluent hamlets of Connecticut that dot the commuter rail line-is finally ready to reap the rewards of a sensible life. Into his mid fifties and newly retired, his grown son's college tuitions paid in full, Anders decides he's had enough of steady habits: he leaves his wife,...
Directed By: Nicole Holofcener
Written By: Ted Thompson, Nicole Holofcener
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
71
82% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
18% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
71
82% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
18% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Holofcener knows human pathos, the melancholic, absurdist tragedy of it all, the laughter, the tears, the dark biting irony. She understands human behavior and her sharp, well-observed ‘Land Of Steady Habits’ is as lovely and near amazing as anything she’s made thus far.
Though Holofcener's films invariably make us laugh in rueful recognition of the inane complexities of lives that manage to echo our own, "Steady Habits" also conveys a melancholy darkness, a more somber cast than usual. Everything seems amusing until suddenly it is not.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 User Ratings
6.0
37% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
53% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 User Ratings
6.0
37% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
53% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
11% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Despite a slight tendency to meander at times, this atmospheric look at the illusion of life in suburbia and the supposed joy that comes from living a life of routine and conformity skewers many widely held misconceptions about what it takes to be and stay happy. When a divorced middle-aged man looks for the contentment he didn't find in marriage, he's confronted with the challenge of figuring out what that entails, especially when it comes to his quest for trying to be a better person. This sometimes-humorous, sometimes-melancholic exploration features excellent performances and characters who are probably more real than most of us might feel comfortable looking at. Director Nicole Holofcener again proves that she's one of the most insightful filmmakers in the business today, delivering yet another fine offering in her excellent repertoire.
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Even though Anders and the people around him can be sorted into recognizable types (a fault, mostly of Mr. Thompson’s book), they are also amusing and awful in ways that can feel disconcertingly real.
As the tone wobbles between absurdity and tragedy, it also starts to shift toward something deeper and more bittersweet than mere midlife ennui. A lot of that is down to Mendelsohn, an actor who seems born to embody Holofocener’s kind of hero: weary and wounded but still putting it out there, a beautiful mess in progress.
We all make mistakes, and we all have the ability to wound when we’re just trying to be clever: Holofcener makes allowances for all of that. But she always favors warmth over sarcasm. And as if she could read our minds, she puts in her characters’ mouths words that we ourselves have sometimes failed to find the guts to say.
In the well-trod territory of fiction about rich men in self-induced emotional crises, the film stands as a worthy, if not exactly groundbreaking, addition.
No matter how much you want to like the film, something is missing: a spark, a shimmer, a thrust of discovery.
This film did a good job of presenting real, relatable topics in adult life. But it fell flat every now and then, so didn't quote do it for me. A decent watch.
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For a movie clearly aiming to be a 'slice of life' vignette, the situations are routinely implausible enough to make the viewer bristle at the suggestion they should represent anything realistic. Add to this a cast of characters who are largely unsympathetic, out-of-touch, selfish, ageist (going both ways) and a bit dumb, and it adds up to have a viewing experience of which I honestly can't understand the appeal.
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Stereotypical characters, trite. predictable dialogue, wooden acting (or worse). What's to like?
I'll give them, credit for trying to present an unusual side of male menopause. But that's it.
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