Set in mid-1970s France, former dancer Vanessa and her husband, American writer Roland, travel the country together and find that their time in a sleepy seaside town, complete with a unique array of locals, strengthens their bond and reaffirms their marriage.
Jolie-Pitt, as director, is wading into the territory of Antonioni's bourgeois disaffection... But it takes much more than this to make art out of inertia.
For those of you who complain about the multiplex offering nothing of substance for adult audiences, this is a grand opportunity for you to put your money where your mouth is.
What are the artistic purposes for this tedious collection of frowning, drinking, bickering, peeping and smoking scenes? "By the Sea" is long on perverse images but short on ideas.
Pitt invests the vague, cranky relationship with his usual intelligence and restraint, but the movie is destined to rank with such celebrity-couple fiascos as Gigli (2003) and Shanghai Surprise (1986).
There is no doubt that this drama is a half-hour too long and slow-moving, but Jolie and Pitt do some of their best work in scenes here -- and they don't hold back.
