Spikeopath Two for the Road is directed by Stanley Donen and written by Frederic Raphael. It stars Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. Music is by Henry Mancini and Christopher Challis is the cinematographer. Film basically deconstructs in non-linear fashion the relationship between Joanna (Hepburn) and Mark Wallace (Finney). Set out on the road as the couple meet, go on vacation, fall out and make up, narrative is threaded over a 12 year period.Donen and Raphael have crafted a picture that takes the many emotional strands of man and woman relationship, and lays them out bare for us all to see. It's this honest like approach, coupled with the two watchable lead actors, that really engages me personally. There's moments of fun, slapstick even, but these are always coupled to an onset of sadness or regret, making this neither comedy or drama, but a near perfect fusion of the two; or bittersweet to coin an actual term. Mancini's music is sweet and breezy, the title track apparently one of his personal favourites, while Challis' Panavision photography is often beautiful. There's some credibility stretching with Hepburn playing her younger self, and one on going gag is overcooked in the extreme, but Two for the Road still feels fresh and interesting to those willing to invest fully in the thematics of the human marital condition. Film also signs off with a killer bit of dialogue from the protagonists that you wont be able to forget. 8/10

bkoganbing Two For The Road was the last and least of the films that Audrey Hepburn did with Stanley Donen. It's a matter of taste, but I don't think it is anywhere as good as either Funny Face or Charade.The film is the story of the marriage of Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn told in jigsaw puzzle style, disjointed at different select times of their marriage and what they go through. You date it by the different hairstyles that Audrey Hepburn has and by the various cars that they drive. They're always on the road and if you know from cars and from women's hairstyle trends than you can follow the film a whole lot easier. Me, I'm not an expert in either.Some parts are quite memorable and the best scenes are with another married couple, Eleanor Bron and William Daniels and the little brat monster from hell that they're raising. Bron used to be involved with Finney and she'd like to keep some kind of tie there. But as parents the two are absolute flops, they're very liberal types who don't believe in disciplining their little sugar plum. In fact Audrey has to take a hand in there when the situation becomes intolerable.According to The Films Of Audrey Hepburn, Finney's part was originally schedule for Michael Caine. I could certainly have seen him in the role. I don't think the cinematic jigsaw was necessary. It would have been a better film just done as a straight linear narrative. Still fans of Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney should be pleased.

beresfordjd A wonderful,wonderful movie. I saw it first when it was released and could never get enough of it. I try to see it whenever I get the chance. The script by Frederic Raphael is sublime and the direction superb. Donen makes a great job of this movie I love it and his" Charade" also starring AH. All the supporting actors are just that-they support the leads and give the movie the atmosphere it needs to succeed.A special mention for Eleanor Bron who has been sadly underused in film (maybe her choice). One would have expected a film like this to have dated badly but I do not find that-it seems fresh every time I see it. It is funny,touching, romantic and above all witty. A really apt look at a relationship/marriage through several years. It says so much about male/female relationships without hitting its audience over the head with a metaphorical hammer.

jackmronner A tapestry of a movie, showcasing the directorial skills of Stanley Donen. Perhaps no other director has the breadth of Mr. Donen's success, comprising classics in the genres of big studio musicals, romantic comedy, drama and thrillers.The thread of the roads traveled by the Audrey and Albert in their various ages and incarnations is skillfully interwoven, providing a bittersweet and funny picture of an all-to-human marriage, the success of which seems perversely inverse to their material success.What a great match of two beautiful and charismatic stars. He plays the perfect rogue and imperfect husband to the hilt, and she, well, she is Audrey.Look for a young and lovely Jacqueline Bisset early in the film.And don't forget your passport.Cannot recommend highly enough the following Donen films: Bedazzled, Indiscreet and Charade