Private Life

Tamara Jenkins is back baby! After a nine year hiatus her newest offering Private Life is on Netflix. It stars Kathryn Hahn who I love for a variety of reasons but mainly for her character on Parks and Recreation. If you haven’t watched it, stop reading and watch all seven seasons right now! In Private Life, Hahn plays Rachel, a forty-something who is trying to get pregnant with her husband Richard (Paul Giamatti). They aren’t having any luck the old fashion way so they enter into the world of IVF and egg donors to try to start a family. Don’t worry, they also attempt to adopt in the film too so they really are covering all their bases. This film is heartbreaking and at times funny and provides a really good look at the strain having kids and not having kids puts on a marriage. It also sparks a lot of interesting conversations about conventional thinking and what the “right” way to start a family should be (as if there is a “right” way in the first place).  Hahn and Giamatti are perfect in their roles but if you don’t want to watch a couple in their 40’s, there’s a great performance from Kayli Carter as their niece Sadie that injects some youthful exuberance into the film. Even if you’ve never had kids or had no trouble having kids this film is worth watching.

Film or Movie: Film
You’ll like this film if:
1. You have been through IVF
2. You’re interested in married life
3. You like movies that don’t sugar coat reality