There are also a number of inconsistencies in the script, the most notable of which concerns Stahl's green-card marriage of convenience to a British TV producer (played by Elizabeth Hurley).

CNN: Review: Too much junkie business in 'Permanent Midnight'

But this model of marriage has left many less-educated, less well-off Americans without a viable life script.

WSJ: The New Unmarried Moms

"People no longer get one single script to follow, " says Stephanie Coontz, a professor at the Evergreen State College and author of Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage.

FORBES: Best Cities For Couples