Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
During shopping for Christmas, Frank and Molly run into each other. This fleeting short moment will start to change their lives, when they recognize each other months later in the train home and have a good time together. Although both are married and Frank has two little kids, they meet more and more often, their friendship becoming the most precious thing in their lives.
Falling in Love is a modestly charming but formulaic romantic drama elevated almost entirely by the star power of Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. The plot is a well-worn forbidden romance template with little to distinguish it from countless similar stories—two married suburbanites fall for each other on a commuter train, wrestling with guilt and attraction. The acting is the film's unambiguous asset: De Niro and Streep bring quiet authenticity and genuine chemistry to underwritten roles, doing far more with the material than it deserves. Cinematography is competent and pleasantly evokes wintry New York but rarely rises above functional. Novelty is low—the premise is derivative and the execution plays it safe at every turn. The ending is unsatisfying and abrupt, offering neither catharsis nor bold ambiguity, leaving the emotional arc feeling unresolved.