The Wife: Or is it the good wife?

The Oscar buzz is deafening. Finally, after six nominations, Glenn Close is this close to taking home the gold statuette.

And well it might be.

But anyone hearing this chatter might think Glenn is great as the behind-the-scenes wife of a celebrated American novelist on the verge of becoming more celebrated, while the rest of the movie is feh. That would be wrong.

The Wife is a smart, engrossing film about marriage and not the cliche the Movie Slut expected. Like an E.M. Forster movie, society and era emerge as central characters. Joan and Joe (Jonathan Pryce) Castleman are very much of their time.

Based on a book by Meg Wolitzer, the action with the help of flashbacks, begins in the 1950s and unfolds over several decades. It's a feast for thought.