"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" tells an old story about a womanizer (Day-Lewis) who has an agreeable relationship with a woman (Olin) who is equally unable to commit beyond casual sex when a woman who equates sex (Binoche) with commitment enters his life, wants to love him and he her, but he is conflicted. The film asks the question can they find happiness together? On the upside, this flick has an excellent cosmopolitan cast, is shot on location, and offers all the usual trimmings. On the downside, the characters are too flat, too laconic, and too enigmatic to create great depth and the film is just plain too long and stuffed with too much inconsequential filler. I watched this film in 1988 and found it quite forgettable which accounts for watching it a second time. Fodder for critics and buffs, the person seeking sheer entertainment should beware. (B)
Review of The Unbearable Lightness of Being
