Elegy (2008)

The great Nicholas Meyer adapted a lesser known Philip Roth novella, The Dying Animal, and Spaniard Isabel Coixet very capably directs his screenplay as Elegy. The narrative goes back to that very Rothian story well of an illicit romance between a successful older man and mysterious younger woman. Now that kind of thing I've seen enough times before that I got kind of bored with it, but the stuff that comes after the breakup is where things get interesting. Penélope Cruz is of course beguiling as the woman, and Ben Kingsley is rather impressive as the man. Kingsley unfortunately has become a bit of a self stereotype, he seems most often to be cast in films essentially just to be Ben Kingsely, here as the urbane, lustful, ageing literature professor he's really given a chance to act, and its wonderful to see. Dennis Hopper is joy every time he's on screen here as Kingsely libertine poet friend, and that's Blondie front woman Debbie (billed as Deborah) Harry as his long suffering wife. Peter Sarsgaard is Kingsley's mildly estranged son, and that plot line is moderately interesting counterpoint to the primary goings on. Patrica Clarkson is Kingsley's secondary love interest. The movie is in no hurry to get where it is going and lags a little at parts, but really comes together at the end and has some poignant things to say. Of the four Philip Roth screen adaptations I've seen, I'd rank this number two. ***1/2