Overview
A couple's journey through the trials of infertility leads to unexpected choices and deeper connections.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- awkward
- intimate
- quiet night in
- couples movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an affecting, sharply observed, and unusually candid portrait of infertility and adult partnership.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Richard and Rachel cycle through fertility tests, in vitro procedures, third party reproduction, and adoption while confronting shifting hopes and fears.
The film finds wry humor in fertility appointments, family conversations, invasive procedures, and the couple's strained attempts to remain composed.
Infertility tests Richard and Rachel's marriage, communication, intimacy, finances, and capacity to sustain mutual support.
The couple's pursuit of parenthood is portrayed as a rarely dramatized rite involving medical systems, family expectations, and changing ideas of adulthood.
Films like Private Life, and why
The Kids Are All Right
shared intimate domestic drama, infertility themes, emotional realism, and darkly comic marriage conflicts
Enough Said
shared bittersweet relationship drama, naturalistic performances, and comedy drawn from painful personal circumstances
The Squid and the Whale
shared grounded family drama, marital strain, wry humor, and emotionally candid adult relationships
Obvious Child
shared female-directed independent cinema, fertility anxiety, awkward humor, and compassionate character study
Movie Details
- Director
- Tamara Jenkins
- Release Date
- 2018-10-05
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (432)
Cast
- Paul Giamatti
- Kathryn Hahn
- Kayli Carter
- Molly Shannon
- John Carroll Lynch
- Desmin Borges
- Denis O'Hare
- Siobhan Fallon Hogan
- Emily Robinson
- Tracee Chimo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Private Life about?
- A long-married couple confronts the comic indignities and emotional upheaval of infertility when parenthood becomes a maze of medical procedures, adoption, and difficult choices.
- What is Private Life like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Private Life as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Private Life violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Private Life.
- What did critics think of Private Life?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an affecting, sharply observed, and unusually candid portrait of infertility and adult partnership.
- Which films are like Private Life?
- Films with a similar feel include The Kids Are All Right, Enough Said, The Squid and the Whale, and Obvious Child.
- How long is Private Life?
- Private Life runs 124 minutes.
- Where can I watch Private Life?
- In United States, Private Life streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
