MUBI

Beautifully shot, genuine, noble. Husbands is first and foremost a film about manhood. To me, Cassavetes wonder: does the masculinity of men squeezed in middle class lives remain intact? Are the requirements of the compartmented family/work/friends life not diametrically opposite to the nature of man – or, as a matter of fact, boys? Is it cowardice that men display when, split apart between their need for freedom and their inflexible suburban lifestyle, they choose to escape the “phonies” to play like little children?
His film certainly does not provide us with a clear answer – it is indeed an exploration, as it is told like a memory: the camera is at times very close to the characters, at times blurry, at times fixed, at times following the action. What it does suggest though is the inescapability of their venture: if “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, it certainly does make Gus, etc. blunt, and when one of their best friends die, a breakout imposes itself.
Another question: why does Gus decide to stay in London, and why is he not able to take things as lightly as his friends do? To me, it is a puzzle to Cassavetes just as it is one for the audience. Certain clues can lead us to think that he reacts in this manner because he is the only one that emotionally rejects the middle class lifestyle, when the others are merely trying to catch up with fun. The ending of the film seems to criticize the two “remaining” friends: they are unable to even confront the disturbing flight of Gus – we could almost say his “death” – as they sort out the myriad of toys they have bought out of guilt for their families at the airport. It also appears to me that Gus is portrayed as more noble: he embraces his boyish nature and asserts his rejection of the middle class life. On the other hand, the innocent, careless and serene amusement of the two others is undeniably charming.
Cassavetes explores yet another aspect of manhood to show us how natural a breakout feels, the morality of which is left for us to judge.

Fantastic Cassavetes film, I’m glad it was finally released on DVD in the states. It’s basically Cassavetes, Peter Falk, and Ben Gazzara against the world. The death of their friend unwinds them and they lash at out everything, but they do it together as one unit. The best thing about this film is how it is patient and pulls you in line by line. At first, you may be thinking “What’s the fuss about with this Cassavetes guy?” and by the end of the movie you’ll be saying “Goddammit, I want to see every movie this guy has ever done”. The dialogue is all very realistic along with the way the characters expose their feelings (or for that matter, try to hide their feelings).

All 3 of them want to feel as if they are all individuals with something to say, that nobody can tell them what to do or hold them down. The problem is that they have already put constraints on themselves by becoming family men with children, wives, houses and cars. They don’t want to accept this though and this struggle is what powers the film. Don’t expect “plot points” or anything of that nature, this film does whatever it wants and flows entirely at it’s own pace. Truly remarkable though, the acting and dialogue are top notch and it is so intensely real, you will feel like you know these guys after watching.

Anytime someone says “They don’t make em like they used to anymore”, they’re referring to Cassavetes.

Any other film subtitled “a comedy about life, death and freedom” would’ve sounded cocky for its own good. But Husbands was made by a man who knows a thing or two about all those things. And this is perhaps the one movie by Cassavetes that just lets it all hang out. Whereas his other notable movies tend to unravel lives on the verge of a breakdown or climb the steps of rehabilitation, the people in Husbands just want to get away from all the pains and responsibilities of domestic life and have fun – if only for a while.