Film Review - The Wife (2018)

“Have you met the wife?” A phrase full of outdated attitudes yet used more frequently than we’d like to believe. Of course, “the wife” has a name, she’s not a piece of property, but that one phrase speaks volumes for her husband’s perception of her. Not that it ever passes Joe Castleman’s (Jonathan Pryce) lips in The Wife, although he comes close, introducing “my wife”, then adding her name, Joan (Glenn Close).

He’s a celebrated author, with a career so glittering that he’s been awarded the Nobel Prize For Literature. She’s a former pupil, one of his many past affairs, and is constantly in his shadow. She’s delighted at his accolade but, as he revels in the spotlight, she becomes increasingly uncomfortable with her situation and acutely aware that she can’t keep the truth to herself for much longer. She describes herself as a “kingmaker” which is exactly what she is. Just like in the saying about every great man …..

Director Bjorn Runge has kept the title of Meg Wolitzer’s original book, one that’s deceptively simple yet laden with meaning. Joan’s name is so ordinary that people either get it wrong or forget it altogether: there’s nothing unusual or memorable about it, and everybody’s attention is on her husband, especially in Stockholm in the run-up to the Nobel ceremony. She’s pushed to one side, almost anonymous, and expected to be happy with shopping trips and beauty treatments while he accepts all that adoration and recognition.

All of which provides a tailor-made showcase for Glenn Close’s considerable acting talent, a performance that’s already being tipped as in the running for awards glory later in the year. And it’s one she really gets her teeth into, combining loyalty and modesty with intelligence, perception and a simmering anger, some of which is directed at herself and her life choices. It’s her film, pure and simple, all about her character and her dilemma. Joan may be in her husband’s shadow on the screen, but when it comes to acting, everybody else is in Close’s. Jonathan Pryce isn’t far behind her, however, and their scenes together as a married couple are convincing, but Christian Slater is way too obvious as a would-be biographer.

If only the film lived up to its star and her performance. The basic idea is a strong one, but the seeds are sown early on for how the story will develop and the signposting is so big and bold that it’s impossible to miss. You always know how things are going to work out. The film’s on-going metaphor, all to do with a walnut, is even more heavy-handed. It’s the title of one of Joe’s books and he also has a habit of crushing walnuts in his hands. What seems impermeable has a weak spot: just a little pressure in the right place will shatter it. You’ve worked out where this is going, haven’t you?

Not that The Wife is a terrible film – far from it – but the clout that goes with Close’s performance accentuates its weaknesses: the storyline has wobbly moments and some of the supporting characters are sketchily drawn. It doesn’t have the dramatic heft it really needs, giving us instead of something safe, cozy even, and bordering on the unsatisfying as a result. In the end, it’s Close that walks away with all the prizes.