The Land of Steady Habits

The film is smart, intelligent and one of the best from this always interesting director.

It's Holofcener's first film for Netflix, which may be ruthlessly fitting given its attack on staid domestic archetypes and middle-class mores.

A great actor when his motor is running fast, Mendelsohn is surprisingly attractive at slower speeds and better when Holofcener makes him twist.

Laying it all out with a piercing authenticity, Holofcener makes us hope that the wait till her next feature is not quite so long.

The decision to spend a little time on a lot of different characters results in a splintered story that muddles - rather then clarifies - its protagonist's roundabout journey back to himself.

Really bad decisions are made, people lie, no one convincingly grows. Lest this be taken as biting commentary, the music, stilted dialogue and epilogue assure us it's in earnest.

This makes for a sad but effective film, with unfortunate characters who want to be whole again but have no clue how to get there.

Thanks to its humanistic acting and carefully constructed writing, The Land Of Steady Habits is a poignant depiction of a man trying to find a new lease.

[A]side from its technical fluency and a typically effortless performance from Ben Mendelsohn, this self-pity party feels a decade too late.

Characters spend most of their time wandering through grocery stores and wine depots. None of it gets satirized as hard as it should.