When Marion (Emily Watson) says this to husband Chris (Christian Bale), I thought, Ouch! Poor Chris, longing to return to his "Bohemian" past, which was not very Bohemian at all. Basically an ordinary English guy in his 30s, Chris finally admits to his would-be Mephistopheles Toni (Lee Ross) that he's comfortable in the life he has, thank you very much.The problem with this movie is that nobody in it with the exception of the French girl Annick (Elsa Zylberstein) is very likable. Chris is childish and, until the end, too easily led by the nose by Toni, who is clearly a phony, and an unscrupulous one to boot. Marion is so patient and reasonable with Chris that she borders on smug--it's a thankless part, really, for a good actress.The Paris flashback sequences are the best part of the film, if only because we get to enjoy Annick, a sincere, unpretentious, and sexy young woman, clearly a joy to be with. She was really too good for Chris. When he stupidly alienates her by talking about his new "friend" Marion and she responds by walking out on him, I thought, "You're losing a damn good thing, pal!"

In a performance so stunning it will leave you breathless, Ms. Emily Watson puts her heart and soul, the essence of her being, into another character that equals or surpasses her artistry in Breaking the Waves and the recent Appropriate Adult. This is an actor of such power that it overwhelms one to watch her bring life to a character with such subtle beauty and heart. In any future retrospective of this incredibly talented and lovely actor's body of work, there is no doubt whatsoever this film will be among her most superb work. Ms. Emily Watson simply captures the screen with her presence and elevates the work of Bale and fellow cast members with the excellence of her own triumphant skill. That she was not nominated for an Oscar or a Bafta once again proves how meaningless these hollow awards are. She was honored for Appropriate Adult with a Bafta but both the Emmys and even the Golden Globes reflected their ignorance and lack of appreciation for true artistry and genius. By this point in her career, Ms. Watson should have enumerable nominations and several Academy Awards to her credit. However, that is not what really matters. The true significance of her brilliance as an actor is that she touches the souls of everyone graced by performance after performance. Ms. Emily Watson may well be one of the greatest female actors to ever appear on stage, in film, or television. No one should allow themselves to miss this film for they will be much the lesser for it. In itself, Metroland is not a great cinematic experience. Emily Watson, however, is.

"Metroland" should appeal to boomers, particularly ones who now find themselves in the suburbs and/or with families. (It did not appeal to the two senior citizen couples next to and in back of me who did not shut up throughout the whole movie as they didn't seem to grasp the concepts of flashbacks or fantasy images) I'm sure there's other movies that have a friend and/or sibling interfering in a stable relationship and shaking the tree (my friend thought of "Hilary and Jackie"-- but maybe because both have Emily Watson, here bundled up in sweaters to try and make her less ravishing) but I couldn't think of one that deals with our time period of post-'60's measurements of personal happiness and fulfillment. We could relate to the English and Parisian experiences with parallel ones here from the same time periods of '68 vs. '78 (nicely accurate hair styles, make-up and clothes).While there are no shortage of shots of gorgeous naked women, there's ironic visual comment regardless the lead character's lovemaking techniques don't improve over the decade of experience. One sees plenty of Christian Bale, such that I think it would, I imagine, appeal to gay men as well.Nice use of punk music (freaking out the senior next to me!), otherwise the score was quite lovely by Mark Knopfler, with a closing song original to the movie, with apropos lyrics.(originally written 4/17/1999)

When the titles of METROLAND started it instantly reminded me of the Rachel Weisz black comedy BEAUTIFUL CREATURES which had been on the previous night. The title sequences were so similar it was uncanny as the camera travels along a rail track to a hypnotic beat . Mind you if I remember correctly things actually happened in BEAUTIFUL CREATURES , hardly anything happens in METROLAND I think this problem isn`t helped by the fact there`s some French input to this movie , yes despite it being set in middle England METROLAND is an Anglo-French co-production not a very succesful combination at the best of times and even a bigger failure where film making is concerned . You see the French gave the world the concept of film study and analysis which means a French critic or a French audience will be able to strip away the veneer of what`s on screen and draw their own conclusions as to what the story is really about - An English speaking audience won`t which means this critic here can only see a slow moving romantic comedy with a very episodic nature. Have you ever been invited to a dinner party where all the guests know each very well and just talk amongst themselves making you feel very left out ? That`s how I felt watching METROLAND , and couldn`t help thinking it might have been far better if the story had been set in Paris with an entirely French cast