The Pearce men have lost the knack for marriage in Noah Pritzker’s gentle, grounded dramedy “Ex-Husbands.” Nick Pearce’s upcoming wedding has hit a snag; his dad, Peter, is facing fresh divorce papers; and Peter’s own father abruptly separated from his spouse of many years.
Nick’s troubles are especially awkward because his bachelor party is proceeding as scheduled in Tulum, Mexico. Peter is flying there as well to lick his wounds (though his son would rather he didn’t). That sets the family up for revelations about one another, but more affectingly, a mix of small kindnesses.
Griffin Dunne effortlessly anchors the film as Peter, a dentist who gets along with everyone and worries over his sons, a.k.a. “the boys.” Nick (James Norton) is depressed to be still waiting tables at 35 years old. His clean-cut younger brother, Mickey (Miles Heizer), has a bewildering fling on the trip and helps hide Nick’s big secret: His fiancée has cold feet.
The Pearces and company bum around in Tulum, where Nick can barely write an explanatory letter to his friends and family. Pritzker directs genuine performances and has an ear for conversations with the ring of everyday emotion, like when Peter advises Nick’s friends (“You guys”) to enjoy each other’s company while they can.
A death in the family leads to another round of male bonding and reconciliation to life’s disappointments. Even if the film’s wisdom is not earth-shattering, it radiates a kind of paternal salve that lives up to Peter’s best intentions.
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