May December: Reconstructing the Past From the Present (Netflix)

This film has received excellent reviews and has many things going for it, but I was disappointed.  The movie is loosely based on the notorious case of Mary Kay Letourneau, who spent 6 years in prison for statutory rape after she slept with a 12-year-old elementary school student.  With a skilled Director (Todd Haynes – "Far From Heaven"), two great actresses, and a fascinating story, how could it miss? Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) is a well-known TV actress looking for a challenge and a vehicle to become a movie star.  She will be starring in an indie movie about Gracie Atherton (Julianne Moore) and her husband, Joe (Charles Melton).  Currently, Gracie, Joe, and their three children seem like a normal, American family, living in Savannah, Georgia.  Twenty-three years ago, however, Gracie and Joe were infamous.  When Gracie was 36, she was married with a son.  While working at a pet shop, she had an affair with a co-worker, the then-13-year-old seventh grader, Joe.  Gracie got pregnant from their affair, went to prison for statutory rape, and gave birth to her daughter while in prison.  After her release, Gracie gets divorced and marries Joe.  A few years later, they have fraternal twins.  At the point of the movie being made, they have been happily married for about 19 years! Joe is now 36 and their twins are about to go to college when Elizabeth arrives.  She wants to spend about a week with the family to try to understand what went down and what their life is like now.  Gracie and Joe are hoping that the indie movie can help the public to understand what happened and see how much they love each other so that they can be perceived in a much more favorable light.  Elizabeth seems very dedicated to "get" Gracie so she can do justice to the role, but the answers to her questions that she gets from Gracie and Joe are not especially elucidating.  Gracie acts as if her relationship with Joe isn't in any way unusual, while Joe is an enigma. I found the first 90 minutes interesting and the acting by Portman and Moore is first-rate.  Unfortunately, the movie loses its way when there is a scene with Elizabeth and Joe which makes absolutely no psychodynamic sense!  (You will know it when you see it.)  This scene is soon followed by a two-minute scene involving Gracie that is quite obscure and does not appear to have any reason for being included in the film.  Therefore, I just rate the movie as a decent rental.  I think this movie could have been exceptional, but it unfortunately missed the mark.  I hope I don't spend "months" getting over my disappointment.