Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Maggie's plan to have a baby on her own with a sperm donor is derailed when she falls in love with John, an older married professor, destroying his volatile marriage to the brilliant and impossible Georgette. But three years later, married to John with one daughter, Maggie is out of love and in a quandary: what do you do when you suspect your man and his ex-wife are actually perfect for each other?
Maggie's Plan is a modestly charming New York intellectual romantic comedy with a genuinely clever reverse-engineering premise—Maggie orchestrating her husband's return to his ex-wife—that sets it apart from standard rom-com fare. The performances are solid across the board, with Greta Gerwig's naturalistic charm and Julianne Moore's delightfully arch Georgette providing real entertainment, though the ensemble never quite transcends the material. Visually, the film is competent but unremarkable, leaning on standard NYC indie aesthetics without much distinctive cinematographic ambition. The premise is fresher than average for the genre, but the execution feels slightly under-developed and overly talky, keeping it from fully realizing its potential. The resolution is satisfying in its unconventional logic, though it wraps up a bit too neatly given the thorny emotional territory it occupies.