2/5 I don't believe in the love story
  by Tim Lieder (New York, NY)
I once wrote that 9 songs - Unrated Full Uncut Version fails as a film because it succeeds at its intended purpose which is to chronicle the initial excitement and final dissolution of a relationship that is based solely on sex. It truly is one of the most claustrophobic movies I've ever seen.

This movie also manages to capture the feeling of being in a bad relationship that goes on too long - including the initial excitement, the hope that things will get better, the moments of "eh, what am I getting myself into", and then the slow march to the finish line where everyone involved is tired and just wants things to end but doesn't know how to end it. Unfortunately, that bad relationship is between the viewer and the movie more than it is between the two protagonists.

It starts out pleasant enough - good date. He's impressive with his promotional job. She's got that cookbook ambition. They are charming enough. Then they get a little more serious and they pace themselves wondering when they are going to have sex. And then they do and he stays over at her place. And she pees in the bathtub.

Yes. You read that last line right. And in case you didn't get that, she also claims to be "leaking" (don't know which body fluid) onto his floor a mere five minutes later and makes a joke (?) about marking her territory. Yeah, ok.

It's around here where I should have turned off the movie but I kept watching it drag along as these two went from earnest and screwed up to bitter. He wants to take care of her. She wants to fulfill her ambitions. She wants children. He doesn't even want a dog. He goes off into this witty rants and she gets more and more irritated. Sadly, I can't really believe that these two were ever meant to be in the first place. Like a standard Rom-com orThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Single-Disc Edition), the movie thinks that it can have the characters telling each other that they love each other instead of relying on tricks like chemistry, humor, likeability. So they kind of muddle through without convincing anyone that they are anything but dull little figures in a play.

In the final act when the mother comes along and gives her "I don't like you because you're Jewish" speech and he sits there and talks about protecting her daughter, I just tuned out. Everyone says everything with that deadly earnest tone that means that you're supposed to take them seriously. The characters are deadly dull. The main guy is interesting enough but only becasue I recognize him from Weeds.

When it sinks into its obvious and tedious conclusion, there's nothing left but sorrow and a sense of overtime - but not for the characters - for the viewer.

I give it two stars because it has good moments at the beginning where you think it's going to be good and the song on the end credits is pretty. Beyond that, forget it.

4/5 Flannel Pajamas
  by J. Lindner (Gem Lake, MN United States)
I really appreciated how this film depicted the stages of a romance from the initial passion to breakup to the point where things were possibly reconciled. The acting is good and everything else from directing to casting seems to fall into place. The end result is an enjoyable but heartbreaking film that even I was kind of hoping things would work out for the couple in the end.

Stuart and Nicole meet and become lovers then make the plunge into marriage. Now for those of us who are or have been married for a long period of time know that marriage doesn't just happen. It must be worked at constantly in order for it to survive. Stuart and Nicole were too young and too pig-headed to see the challenges. They tried to establish timetables as to when things would happen. That is fine but the timetable should be mutually agreed upon rather than imposed by one or the other spouse. When things began to get rocky, they didn't do anything to adjust their approach to the marriage. sa result the marriage ended up in separation. Too late did Stuart realize his faults and Nicole by then was unwilling to yield any of herself to save the marriage.

Watching the film I was not really convinced that the problems that ultimately lead to the separation were really noticeable. It almost seemed like the film more or less just transitioned into the strained relationship phase without really building up to it. But neverttheless, the viewer still kind of hoped the two would reconcile. Unfortunately, this is where the film abruptly ends. At first I was disappointed then I conculded it was up to the viewer to decide if they got back together or not.

4/5 A Raw And Brutally Honest Look At Long-Term Relationships In The Modern World.
  by Eric Ericson (Venice, Florida USA)
Where do I start with this one? I'm gonna cheat a bit and give a promotionally given synopsis first (I never do this, but you'll see why in a minute):

"A study of a relationship that starts quickly, burns bright, and then gets rocky, not from any one thing, but from an accumulation of civilization and its discontents. Stuart is glib and generous, Nicole is shy and forthright. He doesn't like her best friend; she tires of his brother's antics. She wants children sooner. He's a poor listener, she broods. Both have divorced parents, and their families complicate their lives. Is love enough to see them through?"

Does this sound familiar and/or close to home? If you're a male between the ages of 25 and 40 it should, or you haven't been in enough long-term relationships that ended in heartbreak (lucky you). Starring Weeds' Justin Kirk and L&O's Julianne Nicholson (who actually doesn't look like a tomboy lesbian in this one). But reading this above synopsis only tells a small part of the story, and not that correctly to begin with. This is not a comedy, it's real life. The struggle between trying to make two totally different entities, a man and a woman, compatible. What gets you about this film is the utter honesty of how romance between a couple inevitability changes between dating and marriage, and how one or more parties cannot accept that fact. In alot of ways it showed to me why the divorce rate is so high for my generation than my parents, that we as a society and age-group find it so hard to make ourselves better suited for our partners until the damage is done and it's too late. Alot of people (myself included) have said "They need to accept me for who I am", but that's easier said than done. This film shows what early love and long-term coupling is all about, and what will eventually come to pass, no matter how successful your relationship seems. And because this is an independent production, unlike Hollywood ones that take this subject matter lightly, this is raw and brutally honest. Even the amount of nudity, and trust me there's alot, both female and male from it's two stars, isn't very romantic or sexy but real and relationship-like. At times watching this couple slowly fall apart due to the stubborness of it's members is very hard to watch, and for most comes too close to home, at least it did for me. And for it's ending, it leaves you broken and dissatisfied just like the loved ones that got away from your past. Not a fun movie to watch, but anyone who would like not to live their lives alone should see it to know what to expect if it doesn't work out like what Hollywood constantly tells you it will.
(RedSabbath Rating:8.0/10)

4/5 In the end broken-hearted, and not even sure how it started...
  by nychen (GA, USA)
A strange title for a film, "Flannel Pajamas" isn't at all what I thought it was when I first saw the trailer maybe a year or so before I saw the actual film. I thought it was a movie about a couple, a romance of sorts that goes awry but maybe has a happy ending...well it is indeed about a couple, one that meets unexpectedly amongst friends, a romance ensues and does go awry and well, there's a happy ending depending on how you look at the characters, and from whose point of view.

Both the characters, Nicole (Julianne Nicholson) and Stuart (Justin Kirk) are like-able but with developing flaws as they progress deeper into their relationship. Doesn't that always happen in real life? You think you know someone, date them, marry them and they aren't who you thought they were...

A very realistic portrayal of two people in love with having someone to love, but aren't truly in love with each other as life, work, family and all those nitpicks start to crack their relationship. I enjoyed the banter and talk between the characters, conversations you can imagine about living together, money, changing jobs, having a dog, a child and especially family gatherings that you must attend but hate.

The one thing that bothered me throughout the movie was the upfront nudity. It's not unnatural, but it seems excessive for a movie...or maybe this is to show each character's openness and vulnerability, I'm not sure but it's so casual it's weird. There is that questionable scene in Stuart's apartment where Nicole undresses timidly, and that's the most uncomfortable scene I've seen in a movie in awhile...I think it says alot about both characters, where their relationship is based, and where it falls apart in a way. That uncomfortable willingness to please one another while not entirely pleasing oneself, and thus no one is really happy.

Another scene that touched me, is when Stuart is crossing the road and sees a couple with a child and tears up. Beautiful, yet so dark, so alone. It's a moment where it seems like a child would've saved their marriage, but that's brought on by Nicole's constant insistence and Stuart's resistance of the whole situation.

I thought it strange too, about the whole financial storyline, where Nicole seems so dependant on Stuart, but only because he was the first to bring it up - offering to pay for so many of her "baggages"/ideas. Isn't so true that most marriages break up because of money issues? I agreed with Stuart's character when he bluntly told Nicole he didn't want a family if he couldn't provide for them. That maybe sounded so selfish to Nicole, but in real life, that sounds so reasonable. Is it not?

The first 10 minutes of the movie, I was thinking I wasn't going to like "Flannel Pajamas", but in the end, I definitely RECOMMEND it. There is a rawness to the story, the characters and how sometimes you just end up broken-hearted, and you have no idea how you got there.

5/5 i loved this movie
  by C. Fletcher (springfield, OR)
I don't care what anyone says, I loved this movie and it is not a waste of time kind of movie. I just rented it and fell in love with it. I read another review and they were saying that couples actually enjoy the movie more than single people. It made me appreciate my relationship more.