A Review of 'In Fidelity': An often appealing tragicomedy pitting loyalty against adultery
A long-married couple examines and tests the limits of their mutual loyalty while dealing with intrusive neighbours and a wilful daughter.
'In Fidelity': An often appealing tragicomedy pitting loyalty against adultery
Cast: Chris Parnell, Cara Buono, Dennis Haysbert, Illeana Douglas, Willow Shields, Tim Realbuto, Eve Austin, Kathrina Miccio, Dominic Marcus, Thomas Vorsteg, Alixx Schottland, James Pravasilis, Jenilyn Rodriguez, Johnny Vorsteg, Beau Allen, Steve Lichtenstein, Jerry DiLeo, Sammy Smedley
Critic’s Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Director: Rob Margiolies
Duration: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Language: English
Release: 2024
What’s it about?
A long-married couple examines and tests the limits of their mutual loyalty while dealing with intrusive neighbours and a wilful daughter.
Review:
Viewers are in for a curious and engaging little movie about loyalty, loss and meaningful relationships. This comedy-drama is pretty entertaining, moving and uplifting - dealing with a serious subject by lacing it with humour and conveying it with some flair. The handful of characters are distinct and well-developed, being brought to life by fairly commendable acting and witty dialogue. While this celluloid outing doesn’t quite achieve epic or classic status, there is substantial thought and effort here to evoke empathy and relatability. This, while inducing the odd chuckle. The basic premise? Would a faithful, long-married couple consider adultery when mortality stares them in the face?
In Fidelity opens with a husband Lyle (Chris Parnell) and his attractive wife Holly (Cara Buono) re-evaluating their seemingly strong bond of thirty years. Holly expresses their common regret of failing to raise their wayward daughter Greta (Willow Shields) into a responsible adult. Over a tense family dinner, the mother berates the young lady about her shortcomings before breaking the news that she has been diagnosed with fatal cancer. Later, while alone, the couple confront their wishes and desires for each other, especially about extra-marital temptations. Holly also urges Lyle to pick up his stalled career as a performing magician. The distraught man then visits his failing store, whose management he has relegated to a long-time lady benefactor and confidante Kiki (Eve Austin). Here he makes a startling confession.
Lyle appears to be such a devoted husband that he is even willing to accommodate his spouse having a random fling. A suitable prospect soon pops up in the form of their charming and popular singer-songwriter neighbour – Hoyt Johnston (Dennis Haysbert). Interestingly, Lyle is already aware of the man’s celebrity status while this is news to Holly. Holly’s pesky and single friend Ethel (whom Lyle doesn’t approve of), joins the couple on an outing to watch Hoyt perform. After the show, the trio go backstage to meet the performer who charms Holly with words exuding a lyrical quality. Back at their apartment building, Lyle generously allows his dazzled wife to spend time with Hoyt at his place. Though initially accompanying them, Ethel (Illeana Douglas) soon leaves the two alone to get “acquainted”.
But will this meeting between the celebrity and the terminally-ill housewife lead to intimacy? And will this tryst cause Lyle to become conflicted and resentful? While, he is mulling his feelings, he decides to spend an evening out with Greta, who takes him to a nightclub of dubious reputation. Lyle returns to his apartment disenchanted and anxious. What follows over the next couple of days is romance, conflict, tragedy, epiphany and redemption as the lives of all the people involved intersect in bewildering ways. Truths about each character unfurl, some more poignant and incisive than others. Ueven drama is offset with doses of humour, some which are effective while others seem misplaced. Plus, the tying up of the loose ends appears a tad too convenient and contrived.
Writer-director-co-producer Rob Margolies seems to be maturing as a filmmaker, especially after his 2022 project Bobcat Moretti, which was comparatively a more laboured attempt at human drama. Here, Margolies adequately counterbalances the darker themes with interjections of droll levity. Meanwhile, Parnell and Buono do justice to their roles as the disoriented better-halves while Shields delivers a true performance as the profane, loquacious, obstinate and rebellious daughter who is badly in need of a lucky break. Movie buffs may be reminded of the films of Woody Allen, though the approach to adultery here is done with less flippancy and the relations are infused with more humanity. Punctuating the mostly engaging though intermittently-predictable narrative, are interludes of mellow and melancholic music with apt lyrics. The cinematography subtly centers on the characters, never stealing their spotlight, while the editing flows naturally alongside it. In the end, this film cleverly proves that good communication can outshine temptation, guiding us all toward... fidelity!
