Take This Waltz

"A funny, bittersweet tale of love…"

2011 1h 56m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

79%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 411🍅79%Rotten Tomatoes●68Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 31,522

DramaComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Twenty-eight-year-old Margot is happily married to Lou, a good-natured cookbook author. But when Margot meets Daniel, a handsome artist who lives across the street, their mutual attraction is undeniable.

“A funny, bittersweet tale of love…”

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Cast

Michelle Williams
Margot
Seth Rogen
Lou
Luke Kirby
Daniel
Sarah Silverman
Geraldine
Jennifer Podemski
Karen
Diane D'Aquila
Harriet
Vanessa Carter
Tony
Graham Abbey
James

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sarah Polley
Writers: Sarah Polley
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, France, Spain, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Canada, France, Spain, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sarah Polley, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jonathan Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Donaldson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A funny, bittersweet tale of love…".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1592281 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sarah Polley directs. Luc Montpellier behind the camera. Jonathan Goldsmith scores. Christopher Donaldson cuts. Produced in Canada, France, Spain, Japan. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 15 years ago.
2International production across 4 countries: Canada, France, Spain, Japan.
3Directed by Sarah Polley, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jonathan Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Christopher Donaldson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A funny, bittersweet tale of love…".
8IMDB entry: tt1592281 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "adultery", "husband wife relationship", "toronto, canada", "dilemma".

The technical file

Cinematography: Luc Montpellier
Original score: Jonathan Goldsmith
Editing: Christopher Donaldson
Production design: Matthew Davies
Costume design: Lea Carlson
Makeup / hair: David R. Beecroft
Sound: Kirk Lynds
Stunt coordinator: Alison Reid
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $4,965,950
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Take This Waltz (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 68/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 31,522 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 wins & 19 nominations total

Also by

Sarah Polley

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

furious_iz2018-01-29
★ 7/10
A slow burn of a film about the reality of love, marriage, insecurity and the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. Written and directed by Sarah Polley, this film tells the story of Margot, an ostensibly happily married woman who's eye begins to wander when she meets the charming artist/rikshaw driver across the street. Margot is excellently played by Michelle Williams. She is an interesting mix of quietly confident, insecure, unfulfilled dreamer who doesn't know what she wants from her life. Her husband Lou is played by Seth Rogen in an understated dramatic performance, even if his character is a little thin and 2 dimensional at times. The new love interest Daniel is played by Luke Kirby, and he's kind of the male version of the manic pixie dream girl, except he's all confidence, charm, smouldering intensity and artistic earthiness. Just don't ask how he can pay his rent pulling rikshaws for a living. He's an unrealistic dream character that is there to serve as a distraction and make Margot question her marriage. The film really is all about Margot, and she is great character. She really feels like an actual person, slightly annoying at times, well intentioned, good at embarrassing herself and generally not able to cope with a life that lacks any purpose. Her relationship with Lou feels real when dealing with the minutiae of day to day life. They have silly couple games and favourite ways of annoying each other. Sadly Lou's obtuse nature doesn't feel realistic all of the time. Margot is needy and Lou doesn't know how to deal with that neediness, so he just focuses on the task at hand. They've been married for 5 years, and it can't be just now that Margot's neediness has surfaced, so his inability to even connect with her or console her is one of the few parts of the film that feels unrealistic. Maybe we're supposed to think this neediness is a new thing that has sprung up since Margot has become tempted, but that doesn't ring true to me. The other true star of this film is the city of Toronto. Polley makes it look vibrant and colourful and a place I would like to see for myself. This film isn't for everyone. It has some shortcomings that can't be ignored, and some of the subject matter might irritate people. But where it fails a bit on an intellectual level it makes up for on an emotional level and an artistic level. It really is a beautifully shot film, that deserves a watch if you enjoy romantic dramas. 7/10
CinemaSerf2023-02-25
★ 7/10
"Margot" (Michelle Williams) encounters the hunky "Daniel" (Luke Kirby) on a plane after he spots her using some interesting tactics to get onto the priority boarding list. They hit it off pretty quickly and on landing share a cab to their homes - it turns out that they are all but next door neighbours. Now she is very happily married to "Lou" (Seth Rogan) but I challenge anyone married or otherwise not to find the charismatic Kirby a bit of a distraction. Not looking for change, what now ensues is a gently evolving romance that shies away from sentimentality but focusses more on human nature. On how what isn't broken doesn't need fixed - but perhaps it needs changing? On the downside, there is a flaw in the marital relationship that isn't explained - and after a while I found that annoying, but for the most part this is a characterful study of people looking for happiness - even when they think they ready have it - and maybe even one that points out that it might never be truly attainable. Sarah Silverman contributes sparingly, but well, as the alcoholic sister-in-law ("Gerry") and though his is very much the lesser of the three leads, Rogan too offers us a considered performance as a man realising that his dreams are changing too - just not at his behest. It falls away a little at the end; the intensity of the performances cannot readily be sustained as it turns a little to the physical - plenty of full nudity but virtually none of "Daniel"! Its funny and quirky too, well written and for me, at any rate, one of Miss Williams' better on screen efforts.