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The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 2009

After her much older husband forces a move to a suburban retirement community, Pippa Lee engages in a period of reflection and finds herself heading toward a quiet nervous breakdown.

Movie details

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

“She lived many lives ― except her own.”

2009 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

After her much older husband forces a move to a suburban retirement community, Pippa Lee engages in a period of reflection and finds herself heading toward a quiet nervous breakdown.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Private Lives of Pippa Lee?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Rebecca Miller

Written by

Rebecca Miller

Robin Wright

Robin Wright

Pippa Lee

Alan Arkin

Alan Arkin

Herb Lee

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves

Chris Nadeau

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore

Kat

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder

Sandra Dulles

Mike Binder

Mike Binder

Sam Shapiro

Cornel West

Cornel West

Don Sexton

Court is in session

Put The Private Lives of Pippa Lee on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.