The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby

Apart from a couple of brief mentions of how the lead character acquired her name, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby has nothing to do with the Beatles or their iconic song. Nor does it have anything to do with a disappearance, for that matter.

Rather, it’s a romantic drama about a couple in the midst of a collective early mid-life crisis that leads to the dissolution of their marriage. The film marks a promising feature debut for director Ned Benson in which the ambition nevertheless outweighs the execution.

The project was conceived and produced as two separate films, one from the perspective of each of the main characters. This version combines and pares down elements of each of those, presumably to make it more palatable for theatrical release. And in fairness, the two truncated stories seem to converge fairly seamlessly.

As we’re introduced to Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) and Conor (James McAvoy), their marriage already is in trouble, although the reasons remain cloudy. Each retreats to live with their parents in New York. He owns a fledgling restaurant with an eccentric chef (Bill Hader), trying to follow in the footsteps of his father (Ciaran Hinds).

Meanwhile, Eleanor is trying to live up to the expectations of her father (William Hurt), a therapist whose marriage to a French woman (Isabelle Huppert) seems stable compared to her own. She finds a confidant in a college professor (Viola Davis) in whose class she enrolls as a way to stay busy.

From there, the film gradually reveals details about why they split up, why they were together in the first place, and where they go from here.

An excellent cast helps to smooth out some of the rough spots, with McAvoy and Chastain each finding an appropriate mix of strength and vulnerability. However, the characters maintain a frustrating emotional distance, not from each other as much as from the audience.

Benson’s screenplay is deliberately paced and dialogue-heavy, even in its combined state, alternating between moments that are playful and contemplative. Visually he shows some inventiveness, including a beautifully composed final shot that hints at what the rest of the film might have been.

Despite a few powerful sequences, Eleanor Rigby doesn’t yield much relationship insight, although not for lack of an earnest effort. As a result, the overall impact is more pretentious than profound.

Rated R, 122 minutes.