A road movie whose destinations are emotional pit stops... also the platform for an electric performance by Robin Wright Penn who dazzles in the title role
Comment
10/17/09
Rate this Movie 
- Showtimes & Tickets
- Write a Review
- Read Reviews
- Add to List
- Get this Movie
- Buy Poster
- Visit Official Site
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
82
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:23
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Featuring a star turn from Robin Wright Penn and a stellar supporting cast, this transcends your average chick-flick despite its slender script.
Theatrical Release:Nov 27, 2009 Limited
Synopsis: From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (ROBIN WRIGHT PENN) leads a charmed existence. She is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (ALAN ARKIN) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of... [More]
Starring: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Maria Bello, Monica Bellucci
Director: Rebecca Miller
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
...a solid drama that's consistently elevated by the efforts of the various performers.
09/12/09
[An] intense and claustrophobic drama.
08/21/09
A weak central performance would have sunk this film, but Robin Wright Penn makes it work.
08/17/09
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee proves that The Ballad of Jack and Rose was no fluke and that Miller can produce work just as good as the best of recent American independent cinema.
07/10/09
Miller, who also scripted, takes a familiar premise but gives it life and originality, repeatedly thwarting expectations with quirky diversions and smart twists.
07/10/09
On a scene-by-scene basis, though, it’s classily effective, mainly because of Wright Penn’s skill in nailing the precise tenor of every moment.
07/10/09
It's disappointing that a film that starts out explicitly stating its intentions to unpick an enigma ends up continually re-presenting us with a beautiful cipher.
07/10/09
The lightly episodic script, the unfussy direction and the other heavyweight actors, Arkin especially, just about cover his tracks.
07/10/09
A hugely overegged pudding of a film. It's an indulgent, complacent family comedy-drama.
07/10/09
Miller's film is a triumph. Uniformly well acted, it boasts a psychologically knowing script, clearly written by a smart, assertive human being rather than a software programme. As for the luminous Wright Penn, awards season beckons.
07/10/09
It’s impossible to capture the complex whole of a person in one movie (or novel), but Miller uses this limitation to her advantage, by making the mystery of Pippa Lee’s true identity the heart of the film.
07/10/09
This is a flawed film, but the quirks and foibles are what keep it interesting.
07/10/09
A quirky look at women, family and Keanu’s bod (still hot). Satisfyingly meatier than your standard chick flick.
07/10/09
Avoiding the normal chick-flick formula, this has a decent enough premise – damaged hippy chick trying to find herself through a myriad of personalities– but never gets into gear thanks to an underpowered script.
07/10/09
If it’s an ultimately shallow journey, jagged humour and a few sharp tugs of emotion keep it rolling.
07/10/09
This is not a film about finding easy answers, just brief, often tearful moments of redemption. Miller has performed an impressive emotional balancing act, and one that's often surprisingly funny.
07/10/09
It's all very slender stuff and very hard to care about the characters, most of whom whine rather than speak their lines. All in all, it's a life that should have stayed private.
07/10/09
It deserves to be appreciated for what it is - a smart and quirky tale that is also oddly upbeat.
07/10/09
It would have been better if Pippa had kept her life private.
07/10/09
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best of Disaster Porn
Moviefone looks back at 7 films that have paved the way for movies like 2012.
Actors with Famous Parents
BuzzSugar rattles off their 10 favorite current actors with celebrity pedigree.
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
The AV Club looks back at a dance sequence from the only movie written by... Dr. Seuss?
10 Questions - Ewan McGregor
The Men Who Stare at Goats star answers your questions on TIME.com.
IGN RSS Feeds