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XX/XY

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XX/XY (2002)

January. 11,2002
|
5.9
|
R
| Drama Comedy Romance
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When two college students, Sam and Thea, meet Coles at a party, their mutual attraction is immediate, leading to a passionate and awkward night together, and the onset of an intensely charged bond. As they continue to push the sexual boundaries of their friendship, however, they are tested by Sam and Coles' incipient romance and Thea's increasing recklessness, until the relationship dissolves amid a cloud of fear, resentment and mistrust. Eight years later they reunite. An animator for a high-profile ad agency, Coles now lives with Claire, his girlfriend of five years. Thea is happily married to Miles, with whom she owns a flourishing restaurant. And Sam has just returned to Manhattan after working in London where she recently broke off her engagement. Yet upon reconnecting, the three are drawn back into the complicated dynamic that defined their relationship from the start and are forced to confront the true meaning of commitment and love.

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Reviews

Numerootno
2002/01/11

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

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InformationRap
2002/01/12

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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Casey Duggan
2002/01/13

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

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Kien Navarro
2002/01/14

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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wmcr13
2002/01/15

This is a story about the high personal cost of indecision. The story unfolds slowly, but this is necessary to develop the characters fully so that we can come to understand their wants and needs firsthand. Coles (Mark Ruffalo) is an artist who can't seem to make a real decision in his life and, as a result, eventually loses the only woman he ever really loved to another, more decisive man. He learns too late that "no decision is a decision". The viewer, likewise, does not realize in the beginning that Coles' indecisiveness is going to hurt him badly, and others too, since he seems to recover well several times from his errors in judgment concerning his love life. He is a lovable young man and, Sam, the woman he meets and falls in love with, forgives and forgets his many mistakes in their relationship, until one day she has been hurt too much and leaves his life for several years. Coles goes on with his life and begins living with another woman, Claire, whom he seems to love. But when Sam returns years later and bumps into him, their love for each other reignites with its original passion, and he is faced with a crucial decision: choose Sam and break off his seemingly strong relationship with Claire, or stay with Claire and let Sam go on with her life. Again, he cannot make a decision, and so circumstances decide his fate, rather than he himself. Not only does he lose Sam and a future with her (she marries a man named Jonathon suddenly), but he also loses Claire's love and respect, since Claire figures out that he loves Sam. The viewer can feel Coles' agony when he discovers that Sam has gotten married and may even pity him, but at the same time the viewer cannot ignore that Coles chose this outcome for himself simply by not choosing any other outcome.

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d p
2002/01/16

I kept watching the movie once it started, so I can't say it was entirely awful. I wanted to see the characters progress and use each experience to grow and learn, but it never happened. Ruffalo's character bothered me the most. I really wanted to see him mature - especially in regards to his current relationship later in the movie. I wish I could relate to this movie, because I have a feeling the creator wanted to reach out to those who have been in and out of relationships throughout their 20's and 30's, but I was left disappointed and unmoved due to the same old characters only with different make up, hair and change of scenery.

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jotix100
2002/01/17

Austin Chick has done wonders with "XX/XY". It's almost as though he is working in solving a mathematical equation. In the process, he makes us follow the three principals, Coles, Maya and Thea throughout almost ten years to see what become of the characters. Mr. Chick is a film maker in tune with young people, their language, their interplay, and their sexual discoveries. In securing the services of Mark Ruffalo for the pivotal role of Coles, the director is blessed as well with wonderful performances all around. Mr. Ruffalo has become one of the best actors working in the American cinema. He always bring such an intensity to everything he does, but in a subtle and quiet way. We always know what's going on with this man because he expresses everything with gestures that are always right. There's never a moment wrong in Mr. Ruffalo's portrayal of Coles.The story begins in 1993 as the original friends, Coles, Thea and Maya explore their sexual awakenings in unorthodox ways. Coles is the man who lusts after both room mates, but it's obvious that Maya is the one that gets the best of him until their separation.As the story turns to the present time. We see Coles in a relationship with Claire, the 'together' young woman who seems secure enough with Coles never to pressure him into a marriage, because she feels he is committed to staying with her. Their life together suddenly takes a spin with the reemergence of Maya, who has been away in London all these years. Her presence unravels Coles to the point of betrayal to Claire. It is Claire who gets the last laugh as she confronts Coles to tell him how ahead of the game she really is.The last scene is enigmatic. We watch Coles and Claire standing by the door. Coles is trying to hold it open, but Claire succeeds in closing it, and as a chapter in their relationship has ended.The two principals, Maya Strange, as Sam, and Kathleen Robertson, as Thea, are excellent as the college girls that love to have fun. However, one has a feeling that it's Petra Wright, who plays Claire, that gives the strongest performance. Ms. Wright has a luminous aura about her; she overshadows the others. One realizes that Coles needs her and she loves him.Bravo to Austin Chick for a job well done.

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amanda-153
2002/01/18

It is sad that Mark Ruffalo did not come to my attention until I took my 10 year old niece to 13 going on 30. I was happy to see such a neat actor in such a cutsie movie. So much so that I sought out previous movies to see what this guy was all about. XX/XY is a great movie that, to me, was about whether the crazy s**t we did in college was ever REAL. Were the feelings real? the emotions real or just magnified by the intensity of the moment. When we fall in to the real life, we find what really makes us happy. This was a real look at the transition between college and adulthood. Great actor in a great flick! Worth the time to rent and watch. Also look up and rent My Life Without me. Equally awesome!

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