I got the chance to see this today!! Throughout much of the middle, I was smiling, and that's what I needed. Mark Ruffalo was quite a good comedian and very likeable. He actually redeemed himself to me in this movie. At its heart, I found the movie to be about that time when you have to say goodbye to your children. Something I could really identify with. When my own daughter went off to college, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I never thought that "empty nest syndrome" was anything to pay attention to. But, it is a real phenomenon. I reacted much like Nic in the movie. And, like Jules too! I did everything stupid that both of them did! So, I can definitely relate. The movie was not as laugh-out-loud funny as I thought it would be, but it was authentic. At heart, Jules and Nic are much like any other married couple, but with California-style newspeak thrown in. A special treat was Annette Bening singing Joni Mitchell...awesome!!