Excellent adaptation.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

I know Ed Burns. He writes movies about Irish American families in New York and they have heart and a lot of soul. And truth, honesty. Purple Violets isn't one of those movies.I loved Selma Blair and Patrick Wilson. They shined ... Debra Messing gave an embarrassing performance. Her take on her character was a caricature of it and she apparently approached it like a sitcom, as opposed to an independent film. Luckily, she's done other vehicles since.The story was lacking in purpose and commitment. Wishy-washy, should I write, shouldn't I? The characters ... well honestly, other than Patti and Brian, I didn't really care about them. And I didn't really care that much about Patti and Brian, either. It was not the Ed Burns I've come to love, with his handsome, crooked grin, and vulnerable, yet street-smart sensibilities. They call Ed Burns the "Irish Woody Allen." Sometimes I think when Ed Burns tries too hard to BE Woody Allen, he falls way short. Ed writes great stories about very close friends and family and the intricacies of their relationships and situations, but things we all go through. He pulls out the microscope, so to speak. You KNOW these people. And while being very funny and sarcastic, he's sensitive and honest. What he tried here was far too broad. Out of the "family" context, his characters were too normal and not nearly as neurotic as they could/should be. When you write about people who are not with each other on a daily basis, you have to give them a reason to be together. He should just be himself, write what he knows best: deeply flawed, working-class, Irish American New York families and the people who touch their lives. That's when he shines, that's when he grabs your heart.

I have watched this movie three times and still don't get the opening scene. Patti (Selma Blair) is wandering about the beach front property of Brian (Patrick Wilson). The only problem is that she has been out of touch with Brian for about 12 years and has never been to this house until somewhat later in the film. Am I missing something here?The film itself is mildly interesting for its character study of four thirty somethings coming reluctantly to embrace adulthood. The main character Patti is hiding from life. She is a literary woman who has married a decidedly non-literary oaf who wears rings on his thumbs. Her husband never does anything to remind her of her love of letters. Her hibernation ends when she accidentally encounters her lost love in a restaurant.The musical choices were strange in this film. I wanted to choke whoever inflicted their dreary selections on the audience. I suppose this is where some of the limited film budget was conserved.Well, the former college lovers all reunite and since they are more mature and even sober; the relationships may last. I could at least stand to watch this film entirely. One of Edward Burn's other films 'The Groomsmen' was so awful I couldn't stand more than 20 minutes.

Oh, Patrick Wilson (Brian). I have seen him in Phantom of the Opera, Little Children, Evening and now Purple Violets. He is excellent. He was wasting his time with the "Ecstasy" woman in this one. I am glad he got rid of her. Patti is nicer, and more his cup of tea.......... Edward Burns (Murph) was comical, and his comeback from screwed-up alcoholic was redeeming when finally his ex-girlfriend (Kate) ended up (spoilers here) with him near the end of this movie. I am glad she made him wait, and kept him dangling on that string for so long.......... Patti's husband was a total moron, and such a liar when he was talking with Patti near the end -- and at the same time a slutty bimbo was waiting for him back in the bedroom. I mean, he was such a loser. She must have been better than the online porn, but maybe it was Brian's ex. Maybe she and Patti's husband deserved each other............ Kate was tough, and a good friend to Patti. All those years after college, you mean to tell me she had no relationships with anyone else after Murph? Score one for her -- making Murph take her to the best restaurant in NY.......... Finally, Patrick is a singer. He sang a little in Evening, and did a great job in Oklahoma (Youtube). I tell ya, this boy has a great future. He was very sexy in Evening, AND Phantom of the Opera, PLUS the scene in the laundry room with Kate Winslet (Little Children) was one for the memory books!!!!!!!!!Finally, does every story have to make sense? People IRL don't always have cut-and-dried-endings to their stories. Some are ongoing. Besides, we know that Patrick will end up in yet another movie, always being that sexy sweetie-pie self. I know that this is not the typical story about football players, car chases and people trying to out-run the police. This is a quiet story that somehow blends thoughts and dreams of thirty-somethings, who knew each other once upon a time, and who now hope to continue with the threads that will lead into their futures. I watched this movie to the end, and for me that says it was good and enjoyable. 10/10.

I saw the movie tonight at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was the world premier of the movie and the entire cast and crew was present. Ed Burns held a question/answer session after the film. If you like his other work you should enjoy this film which takes place in NYC and the Hamptons. The story follows the lives of old college friends who meet up when they are in their early 30s.The 4 main characters used to be lovers, but those relationships ended back when college did. I would place it under the romantic comedy category. A friend who attended the premier with me commented that she felt the movie was made in a very 'woody Allen'style. Enjoyable.