"The Lovers" Stars Debra Winger & Tracy Letts A Dismal Film on the Disillusionment of Lasting Love

The movie titled "The Lovers" is a parody of monogamy.  A middle-aged couple are both having extra-marital affairs & neither partner seems to care.  Mary (Debra Winger) and Michael (Tracy Letts) play the married couple on the brink of uncoupling, or so they tell their respective lovers.  Both claim they'll end their loveless marriage after their college age son's visit home with his girlfriend.  Winger is a 3 time Acad Award nominee & Letts is an accomplished actor & Pulitzer & Tony winning playwright.  They both bring a believability to their farcical roles as a married couple who rekindle a romantic spark for each other on the brink of terminating their marriage.  However, watching an overweight Michael and an over-the-hill Mary having tepid sex together is unappealing.   Their resurgent lust for one another is an enigma.  Also puzzling is their commitment & attraction to the people they're having their trysts.  Their lovers are neurotic, demanding & annoying.   The continual deceptions were depressing & exhausting.  The audience found humor in the shenanigans which I thought wearisome.  The film picks up some steam towards the end when their resentful son Joel comes home with his girlfriend Erin and a huge chip on his shoulder.  Joel forewarns Erin of his parents loathing of each other & is befuddled by their newfound sexual healing.  The dysfunctional family dynamics & Joel's meltdown add some spice to a dismal film.  The predictable ending is insipid.  You can't always get what you want, but you always seem to want what is illicit.  "You have to make a choice," Michael's lover tells him.  Mary's lover gives her an ultimatum.  The smart choice is to pass on this morass film of middle-aged love that never holds fast.