THE WIFE

THE WIFE:   It's still early, but I think our first Oscar nominee is upon us in the personage of Glenn Close in this nuanced and brilliant performance as the title character.  She portrays Joan Castleman, wife to a celebrated author Joe (Jonathon Price). They are compliments and therefore opposites to each other; Joe is vain and Joan is self-effacing and so on. As the film opens Joe is notified that he has won the Nobel Prize for Literature.  Then, through a series of flashbacks, we see how the couple have arrived at this point.  Christian Slater portrays a rather pushy writer, eager to do a biography on John but in the process discovers some unknown details about him.   Also in the cast is Max Irons (son of Jeremy) as the couples close to estranged son, David. It's a quiet film with moments of joy and humor that leads ultimately to a somewhat predictable ending. None the less, Ms. Close is at the top of her game (as is Mr. Price) and it is a fascinating portrait of a couple in love and on the brink.of destruction.