Take This Waltz (2012)

79% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
93% want to see it
(1,568 ratings)

When Margot (Michelle Williams), 28, meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), their chemistry is intense and immediate. But Margot suppresses her sudden attraction; she is happily married to Lou (Seth Rogen), a cookbook writer. When Margot learns that Daniel lives across the street from them, the certainty about… More When Margot (Michelle Williams), 28, meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), their chemistry is intense and immediate. But Margot suppresses her sudden attraction; she is happily married to Lou (Seth Rogen), a cookbook writer. When Margot learns that Daniel lives across the street from them, the certainty about her domestic life shatters. She and Daniel steal moments throughout the steaming Toronto summer, their eroticism heightened by their restraint. Swelteringly hot, bright and colorful like a bowl of fruit, Take This Waltz leads us, laughing, through the familiar, but uncharted question of what long-term relationships do to love, sex, and our images of ourselves. -- (C) Official Site

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Sarah Polley
Written By: Sarah Polley
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 6, 2012 Limited
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Critic Reviews

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
"Take This Waltz" is frank, erotic, often very funny and sometimes startling, with an underlying tragic sensibility.
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
This sophomore feature is a stumble backwards in terms of maturity.
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
The movie has many true sentiments, but few true characters on which to hang them.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Take This Waltz is full of chance encounters, some less likely than a lobby with nine hundred windows or a bed where the moon has been sweating.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
The idea of the cyclical nature of love and life is ripe for exploration, and Margot is a pleasingly complex character, whose motivations are believable.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
[Writer/director] Polley's ear for naturalistic dialogue compliments her instincts as a filmmaker.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Terminally quirkly well beyond its expiration minutes.
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
Once again proves Polley's talents both for writing riveting dialogue and for being able to get unforgettable performances from her actors.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...an erratic yet entertaining sophomore effort from Polley.
Katey Rich, CinemaBlend.com
Passionate And remarkable.
Chris Bumbray, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
For 90% of the film, I thought I knew what TAKE THIS WALTZ was up to, before Polley pulled the carpet out from under me in the final act- and bless her for that!
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen both hit career highs as a Toronto married couple smothered by their own coziness. But somehow, the material doesn't seem ambitious enough for Polley.
Catherine Shoard, Guardian [UK]
Take this Waltz confirms Polley as a serious, intelligent talent.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

E.J. B

From TIFF: Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing the red carpet premiere of Sarah Polly's new film, starring the wonderfully talented people Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman. Take This Waltz screams with confidence because Sarah Polly seems very attuned to… More
From TIFF: Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing the red carpet premiere of Sarah Polly's new film, starring the wonderfully talented people Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman. Take This Waltz screams with confidence because Sarah Polly seems very attuned to what she wants and how to get it. This was also relevant in her previous film, Away From Her, one of the best films of the last decade. Take This Waltz is gorgeously shot, framed, and the attention to detail in each scene gives the film a lot of depth and subtlety. It is also shot and takes place in my home city of Toronto. Toronto is a gorgeous city, and while the film isn't at all about the city, it reflects how living in Toronto affects the characters' lives, where they like to go, and what they like to do, making the setting as much a character as everyone else. Even the music is by some of Toronto's most famous artists. Unfortunately, the film stumbles a lot because it's far too pretentious. The film is nothing more than a love triangle, but it tries way too hard to be this arty, Indie-rock infused statement on choices. If the film is about anything, it's about how the spark and chemistry that is so very apparent when we find new love disappears as the years go by, and we become too involved in routine, taking the relationship for granted. Sometimes, people find that spark in someone new, and too often get caught up in that new spark that they forget that said chemistry will eventually turn to routine just the same. This is a film that Richard Linklater would have made very well. Sarah Polley is too full of herself this time behind the chair that she forgets the kind of film she's making and in her quest to do something different, she chooses the wrong style for the wrong story, and almost wrecks the wonderful performances she's gotten out of Rogen, Williams, and Silverman.