Today’s Prayer Focus

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

also known as “Les vies privées de Pippa Lee,” “Oi kryfes zoes tis kyrias Lee,” “Pippa Lee négy élete”
MPA Rating: R-Rating (MPA) for sexual content, brief nudity, some drug material and language.
Moral Rating: not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Romance Comedy Drama Adaptation
Length: 1 hr. 38 min.
Year of Release: 2009
USA Release: November 27, 2009 (limited—10 theaters)
DVD: March 2, 2010
Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Filmsclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films Copyright, Screen Media Films
Relevant Issues
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Adultery in the Bible

Fornication in the Bible

Should I save sex for marriage? Answer

How can I deal with temptations? Answer

What are the consequences of sexual immorality? Answer

Sex, Love & Relationships
Learn how to make your love the best it can be. Christian answers to questions about sex, marriage, sexual addictions, and more. Valuable resources for Christian couples, singles and pastors.

SUICIDE—What does the Bible say? Answer

If a Christian commits suicide, will they go to Heaven? Answer


FORGIVENESS—How can I be and feel forgiven? Answer

GUILT—If God forgives me every time I ask, why do I still feel so guilty? Answer

Forgiveness of sin


Marriage in the Bible

Is formalized marriage becoming obsolete? Answer
Many people are convinced that traditional marriages don’t work and that this practice should be abandoned. What does the Bible say about marriage?


GAY—What’s wrong with being gay? Answer
Homosexual behavior versus the Bible: Are people born gay? Does homosexuality harm anyone? Is it anyone’s business? Are homosexual and heterosexual relationships equally valid?

What about gays needs to change? Answer
It may not be what you think.

Featuring Robin Wright Penn (Pippa Lee), Keanu Reeves (Chris Nadeau), Winona Ryder (Sandra Dulles), Julianne Moore (Kat), Mike Binder, Alan Arkin, Ryan McDonald, Cornelius West, Maria Bello, Arnie Burton, Tim Guinee, Drew Beasley, Madeline McNulty, Beckett Melville, Zoe Kazan, Billy Wheelan, Shirley Knight, Joan Copeland, J.R. Horne, Blake Lively, Adam Shonkwiler, Richard DeDomenico, Robin Weigert, Christin Sawyer Davis, Zero, Adam Grupper, Sean-Michael Bowles, Audrey Lynn Weston, Monica Bellucci, Angela Trento, Teresa Yenque, Lola Pashalinski, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Annie Purcell, Marc Alan Austen, Andrew Stephen Bradley, Edie Hofstatter, Marca Leigh, Harry L. Seddon
Director Rebecca Miller
Producer Elevation Filmworks, Grand Army Entertainment, IM Global, Lumina Films, Plan B Entertainment, Jill Footlick, Warren T. Goz, Stewart McMichael, Brad Pitt, Lemore Syvan
Distributor Screen Media Films

“She lived many lives—except her own.”

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Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Adapted from Rebecca Miller’s novel. From all outward appearances, Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) leads a charmed existence. She is the devoted wife of an accomplished publisher (Alan Arkin) thirty years her senior, the proud mother of two grown children, and a trusted friend and confidant to all who cross her path. But as Pippa dutifully follows her husband to a new life in a staid Connecticut retirement community, her idyllic world and the persona she has built over the course of her marriage will be put to the ultimate test.

In truth, looks are deceiving, and this picture-perfect woman has seen more than her fair share of turmoil in her youth. Embarking on a bittersweet journey of self-discovery, accompanied by a new, strange and soulful acquaintance (Keanu Reeves), Pippa must now confront both her volatile past and the hidden resentment of her seemingly perfect life in order to find her true sense of self. By turns wry, humorous, and moving, ‘The Private Lives of Pippa Lee’ presents the complex portrait of the many lives behind a single name.

Golden Globe nominee Robin Wright Penn and Academy Award winner, Alan Arkin head an all-star cast that includes Blake Lively as the young Pippa Lee, Maria Bello as her mother, Suky Sarkissian, Keanu Reeves as Pippa’s inscrutable neighbor, Chris Nadeau, Monica Bellucci as the socialite Gigi Lee, triple Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore as the freewheeling Kat, Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Winona Ryder as Pippa’s trusted friend, Sandra Dulles, Mike Binder as novelist Sam Shapiro and rising stars Zoe Kazan and Ryan as Grace and Ben Lee, Pippa’s young adult children.”

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See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


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Movie Critics
…This is way more than it seems and manages to surprise and enchant throughout. … takes a familiar premise but gives it life and originality, repeatedly thwarting expectations with quirky diversions and smart twists. … [4/5]
Liz Beardsworth, Empire Magazine
…the psychological study of a mixed-up woman who’s having a “midlife crisis”… Though very coy about the specifics of its Romantic worldview, the movie is not something that discerning, media-wise viewers will want to take the time to see. … Language/Sex/Nudity: Moderate…
Movieguide
…Wright turns in a rueful performance that’s lined with anguish but shines with levity. She takes what could have been a huge downer of a character and manages to channel something strangely light, optimistic, even funny. … [3.5/5]
Alexis L. Loinaz, Chicago Tribune
…Cardboard characters and severe problems of tone fatally flaw the awkward satirical relationship drama “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.”…
Alissa Simon, Variety
…even the brightest star can’t save the dim script…
Barry Hertz, National Post
…Miller’s film is a triumph… impeccably acted and manages to be sharp satire, dark-comedy and wrenching drama. …
David Gritten, The Daily Telegraph

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