'Infinitely Polar Bear' never comes to terms with the story's dangers
Mark Ruffalo plays Cam, a man with bipolar disorder attempting to care for his two聽young daughters, in writer-director Maya Forbes鈥檚 semi-autobiographical 鈥淚nfinitely Polar Bear.鈥澛燞is wife, Maggie, played by Zoe Saldana, still loves him, but they live聽apart. Her frustration at not being able to afford a private school for her聽girls (winningly played by Imogene Wolodarsky, the director鈥檚 daughter,聽and Ashley Aufderheide) leads her to enroll in Columbia Business School聽in order to earn a degree that will enable her to earn enough to pay for聽tuition. The problem is that Cam and the girls will be living together, in聽Cambridge, Mass., while she commutes home on weekends from New York.
Although Maggie鈥檚 decision is depicted as selfless, it could certainly be聽interpreted as something else; and entrusting the girls to Cam seems聽fraught with dangers with which the film never really comes to terms. Despite聽some occasional moments of real sadness and terror, the turmoil in this聽movie is decidedly on the upbeat. I would love to have seen what Ruffalo聽could do with this part were he not encouraged to be puppyish and sweet. Grade:聽C+ (Rated R for language.)
