[dropcap style="font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;"] T [/dropcap] ake This Waltz is a nice Canadian film written and directed by Sarah Polley, who’s big star role was in Dawn of the Dead. It’s funny because Polley is a big political activist and yet she acts in horror movies and makes wonderfully soulful films like this that are completely apolitical…..go figure.

This is perhaps Michelle Williams’s best showing other than Marilyn…..and surprisingly, we see a lot more of her than we did as a sex goddess…another go figure. But it’s hard not to like what we see since her prolonged naked shower scene is next to Sarah Silverman…not being particularly funny.

Seth Rogan is a bit out of character as a serious actor playing a slightly humorous cookbook writer of “Tastes Like Chicken”. The break-up scene is shot like 20 views of Seth Rogan feeling like shit, but trying to make the most of it. Hats off to Seth and Polley….it was a powerful sequence.

Michelle’s conundrum is that he loves her husband Seth, but is not excited by her marriage….and then she meets Luke Kirby (who is graduating from Law and Order to do this role) and falls in love/lust. Polley pulls this off very well and makes you feel Michelle’s pain and yearning. Michelle is remarkable in the part. She and Luke do some of the best and most real romantic acting I’ve seen in a long time. While there is some non-steamy but explicit sexual positioning (more than I needed….especially the kinky ones), that was there (not do necessary in my view) to show the lust Michelle needed to sate. The REAL romance comes when she and he are just talking. This contrasts to failed efforts to show the tragedy of love like The Deep Blue Sea…..well acted like this, but far less real and phony.

Other than casting Silverman, this was a great film. It moved me and it strengthened my respect for Williams, broadened my respect for Rogan and introduced Kirby. All it lacked was any connection to hedge funds….and how can that be in a realistic world?