Director/writer Brian Crano has assembled an excellent cast. Permission has adults having adult conversations. We watch as two very different couples grapple with managing their relationships and the hardships that ensue when one person (or both) deviate from "the plan". Crano allows his characters to be smart, stupid, loving, selfish ... that is, real people. Rebecca Hall steals the show and yet her character is perhaps the least likable of them all. After seeing her here, I will watch her in anything. A scene late in the movie is as real as life and as such is tender, wrenching, and beautiful. So, why only 5 stars? All of these great parts do not add up in the end. The middle of the film lags. As great as the acting may be, I didn't believe the ending. Crano works with his actors and creates great moments. The culmination of those moments, while clearly articulated in the film, seemed trite at worst and less than satisfying at best. Normally such an ending would result in less than 5 / 10 from me (starting from a pass/fail scale). Yet, the greatly crafted scenes and great ensemble acting make Permission worth recommending.

Well, of course this film was released in time for Valentines Day, but, if you're going to be ripping peoples hearts out for fun, maybe it should've been pushed to October.Dane, is the only character in this movie who got COMPLETELY screwed over, more than anyone else, and yet, the person who set the wheels in motion towards his agony, anguish and destruction, gets to be the one who gets her happy ending, while it doesn't even ever get addressed of how, evil her actions were.And also, I never really got the memo on the fact that, growing up is about fetching trouble, and allowing it to cause the inevitable harm it was always going to.I have very little, to almost zero sympathy for Will, however, Anna is an unmistakable manipulator and villain. There is nothing right about her actions. She always projected her feeling, anxieties and desires on Will, which made it seem like all they did, was either his idea, or theirs, when it was always hers. She uses Dane, then condemns him to a state of emotional uncertainty and purgatory hell because of her malicious actions and failings. She then has intercourse with a complete stranger, who is also married, and once again, projects her TOTAL BS on him, when the problem is her. And then to top it off, after breaking Dane, she goes and shatters Will, in true Anna fashion.I really like Rebecca Hall, however this role was a terrible choice, and her producing this film made it even worse. The subject matter of this film is nonsense, which is sad because the fact is, it is a true reflection of love today, however, the film felt rushed towards the end, and the execution wasn't necessarily the best. Permission tried to create scenarios where nobody was at fault; Anna, Will, Hale and Reece, but failed, miserably.The after taste of Permission makes it feel like it deserves less than a 5/10, it really, really does, especially because it arrogantly perpetuates a life style contained in this vicious cycle most can't seem to escape, however, while watching it, I never really felt it deserved less, so, 5/10 it is.

I felt so disturbed the next day after watching this movie. Every mans' fear is that his lover could be swept away by a better lover and more interesting man. This movie moved me because I related....still disturbed.

Long term, exclusive couple test their relationship by sleeping around! What could go wrong? Plenty of course, but "Permission" is more than a quirky, guilty pleasure premise. Heck it's not even a comedy. As our adorable love birds take their first baby steps outside of their cage, there is, dread, apprehension, fear, but mostly there is excitement. How Anna and Will deal with their suddenly evolving world is decent fodder for a serious movie, yet it is another couple that steals the show. Anna's baby craving brother and his reluctant boyfriend offer up a better plot line. Sometimes juicy don't cut it. This really is a tale of two couples, and unravelling the daily intimacy and neurosis of both relationships, with some terrific performances, is where "Permission" works best. It's a messy film with a whole lot goin' on, but manages to entertain while posing some interesting questions.