What possible redeeming social value was there in this turgid drivel? By the time it became even remotely interesting I was beyond the point of caring despite Scarlett Johansson's best efforts to rise above the script given her.

Bill Murray, for me, is such an incredibly frustrating dramatic actor to watch. He always looks as though he woke up about five minutes before cameras were ready to roll, and his monotonous tone of voice is enough to make almost anyone suffer, cry or both. How he was Oscar-nominated for this movie I will never know.

No amount of beautiful cinematography or potentially interesting character development could have saved me from boredom in this case. Scarlett Johansson was the one who should have been Oscar-nominated as a bored housewife in a loveless farce of a marriage. She continues to show tremendous versatility (Horse Whisperer, Girl With a Pearl Earring) , and it shouldn't be long before she is considered among the likes of Renee Zellweger, Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron for heavy consideration for Oscars.