Ruth & Alex is a competent film but fails to grip its audience, and does little more than communicate how cumbersome selling a home is. Keaton recycles her performances from her previous work; although her and Freeman act well, one feels it was a doddle for these film veterans.

Stylistically Ruth & Alex offers nothing special, though flashbacks are slid into with ease and the film touches on themes of discrimination in an admirably personal way. The story structure is tight but generally very slow, with a background story of a terrorist threat offering the only real sense of progression. 

Without its lead characters, Ruth & Alex would be as forgettable as your aunt’s birthday. Though solid in its filmmaking it fails to shine as a whole.

RATING: 2/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Morgan Freeman, Diane Keaton, Cynthia Nixon

DIRECTOR: Richard Loncraine

WRITER: Jill Ciment (Novel), Charlie Peters (Screenplay)

SYNOPSIS: As Brooklyn is in the grips of a potential terrorist threat, two retirees try to sell their apartment and keep their dog alive.