Category Archives: romantic comedy

Definitely, Maybe

Posted on March 22, 2008

Love, Actually is one of our (my wife and I) favorite movies, which we watch every New Year’s Eve (or Day), and Ryan Reynolds is turning out to show up pretty well most times too so when we saw a ‘new movie from the people who brought you Love, Actually’ starring the actor that Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc want to be we figured it would be to our liking. Sure enough, it was.

Definitely, Maybe is kind of a grownup fairy tale that Will Hayes (Reynolds) tells to his spunky daughter Maya (the uber-present tike Abigail Breslin) after he splits up with his wife and her mother. Once upon a time daddy was luckier than, well, most princes and got to date three gorgeous women. “What’s a threesome, daddy?” “A game adults play sometimes when they get… bored.” Whatever.” Will marries one but changes some of the facts and the names so Maya has to guess which one became her mommy.

Is she college sweetheart Elizabeth Banks, aspiring journalist Rachel Weisz or the unassuming Isla Fischer, who Will meets when he moves to New York to launch his career in politics? Any one of them would have satisfied 99.999% of (straight) men in America, I’d have to say. Each has some failing that makes Will move on. And of course at the end his precocious daughter makes sure he reconnects with the woman who is the right choice for him.

Also lending a hand are Derek Luke as Will’s best friend and consulting partner, Adam Ferrara as their mentor, Nestor Solano the politician the three support and Kevin Kline as Weisz’s Tom Wolfe-ish mentor and lover.

Despite the advertising, Love, Actually‘s writer/director Richard Curtis is in no way involved here; the connection is a few of the same people produced both flicks (and probably carefully chose a title that echoes the earlier hit). No worries, Canadian-born writer/director Adam Brooks (Practical Magic, Wimbledon, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) does fine with this American-set tale and Curtis has rarely ventured beyond the shores of the British Isles.

Brooks offers three very different, smart and warm women as Hayes’ (and our) choices, develops his characters without rushing or stomping plot development and cleverly avoids telegraphing the result so early that the climax gets spoiled. A chick flick that men can enjoy, on par with Brook’s Practical Magic rather than his Renee Zellweger sequel which, to be fair, possibly suffered from too many chefs sticking spoons in.

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Gray Matters

Posted on February 24, 2008

This is a cute little movie starring Heather Graham and Tom Cavanagh as sister and brother who are also best friends and flatmates and Bridget Moynihan as the woman who turns their lives upside down. If you wonder how come you don’t remember it from being in the cineplex last year that would be because other than a few short art house showings it was essentially straight to DVD.

Sam and Gray Baldwin are very happy with their lives; Gray Matters opens with a dinner party where a couple of the other guests who don’t know them too well mistakenly get the idea their a married couple. Having recently passed 30 they decide it’s time to get out and find loves, which starts with a trip to the singles heaven that is the local (Manhattan) dog park. They see Charlie Kelsey (Moynihan) and Gray makes an excuse to introduce herself, then point out her cute brother.

The three meet up later at a Spanish place for tapas, drinks and dancing. Both Baldwins find her extremely attractive but it’s Sam who stays up all night with her. Then  turns up home that afternoon with the news that he and Charlie are getting married in Vegas Saturday and would Sis very kindly come along as maid of honor/best man.

All good time is had by all but certain events during the Friday night bachelorette party trigger the main conflict of the movie. Back home Gray is forced to confront the truth of her desires, reconcile with Sam and Charlie, and find a new path to happiness. All of which she does, with some assistance from her officemate Carrie (Molly Shannon in one of her few mature, non-annoying roles) and new bet pal Gordy (Alan Cummins, allowed for once to be himself, or at least a heterosexual version of himself).

Written and directed by Sue Kramer (her only IMDB credit, though she bears a striking resemblance to the also-lesbian Heather Matarazzo), Gray Matters is a sweet post-modern coming of age story that is smart and believable, wastes little time on poorly though out ‘character development’ and (sadly, because Graham is hot) avoids the easy allure of cheap lesbian sex scenes.

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Because I Said So

Posted on November 5, 2007

An out and out chick flick, this was our Saturday night date movie with TS1 even bringing the fresh popcorn. A fun way to spend a couple of hours after a day full of English and American football–Liverpool had another crap 0-0 outing but USC reached back for a nice 24-3 rebounder–and Mandy Moore is growing on me as a nice young actress

Moore costars with Diane Keaton in Because I Said So, a slight romantic comedy whose twist is that Keaton is not only Moore’s overbearing mother Daphne, she’s afraid her own life is over at 60 (her birthday party is a key scene) without her ever having had an orgasm. Lauren Graham and Piper Perabo play Moore’s character Milly’s two slightly older, better adjusted sisters so you can imagine the locker room scene is very male viewer friendly.

Daphne despairs of the 20-something Milly ever finding the true love she never did–the girl’s father was “the wrong choice”–and so she posts a single ad asking for suitors for her daughter. Interviewing applicants in a hotel lounge she finds one good man, an architect named Jason (Tom Everett Scott), and has an arrogant conversation with Johnny (Gabriel Macht), leader of the jazz combo playing there.

Milly of course meets both men and, this being the 21st century, sleeps with both after a decent/minimal number of dates. Johnny turns out to be a better match, though appearances and mom disagree. Hilarity ensues. Daphne meets Johnny’s dad (Stephen Collins) and learns what an orgasm feels like. Milly and Johnny’s five year old son Lionel hit it off instantly. Jason never does figure out how to get the stick out of his ass.

Fairly standard stuff but nicely done.

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Casanova

Posted on September 22, 2007

An enjoyable historical romantic comedy based on a fabricated episode of a very young Giacomo Casanova set in Venice in the mid-1700s, this Heath Ledger-Sienna Miller 2005 film from Lasse Hallstrom uses the legendary Lothario as an exploration of the meaning of love.

Ledger is the title character, footloose and fancy-free and a charmer who slices through the clothing of beautiful women of all stations. He’s the bane of Bishop Dalfonso’s (Ken Stott) existence because Casanova has powerful protectors including the Doge of Venice. He’s hard up for cash, though, and has finally pushed too far; to escape prosecution and stay out of debtor’s prison as well Casanova must make a real marriage to a woman carrying a sizable dowry by the festival days away.

Fortunately the lovely, lithe blond Victoria (Natalie Dormer) is anxious to be rid of her virginity and has her noble father wrapped around her pinkie so, despite misgivings about her suitor’s reputation, daddy agrees. The same day the groom-to-be is challenged to a duel by Giovanni (Charlie Cox), who lives across from Victoria and has been lovesick since hair appeared on his chest. He’s a terrible fencer, though, and his older sister, wearing identical clothing and mask, takes his place.

Casanova has seen her before, when the unusually educated Francesca (Miller) scandalized Venetian academics by debating a man, also wearing men’s clothes and a wig and mustache disguise. He falls for her immediately but, aside from his impending nuptials, she is also betrothed to a wealthy cousin (Oliver Platt) as the means to solve the whole in the family accounts after dad died.

Finally, Dalonso’s superiors in the Inquisition have decided he can’t bring Casanova to the bar and replaced him with the utterly no-nonsense Cardinal Pucci (Jeremy Irons). Pucci is not put off by the planned wedding nor the political conflict with the secular authorities.

The way these three plots crash together intelligently and with great wit is what makes me give this a recommended result. Also chipping in are the colorful clothing and city scenery, as well as an outstanding performance by Omid Djallai as Casanova’s manservant.

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You, Me and Dupree

Posted on June 12, 2007

Caught up with this light buddy/romance romp from 2006 on HBO the other night; actually it was pretty close to chick flick territory except for Owen (‘I’m the blonde one’) Wilson’s whack job of a best friend character. Plot is fairly basic: In a beautiful ceremony on a beach in Hawaii, Carl (Matt Dillon) marries Molly (Kate Hudson) with Dupree (Wilson) as best man and the whole fancy thing paid for by Molly’s real estate mogul dad (Michael Douglas), who also happens to be Carl’s boss.

Dupree loses his job, girlfriend and apartment on returning from Hawaii and the newlyweds reluctantly put him up, until he nearly burns their place to the ground in a buttery sexual encounter. Dad also is not happy about the marriage as Mom died several years earlier and Kate is (in a non-sexual way) the primary object of his affections, so he tries to break up the marriage albeit in ways that his darling daughter won’t see and some that may be subtle enough that even Cal won’t recognize them for what they are.

You, Me and Dupree is a romantic comedy at its core, though, and so the chicanery is played for laughs and ultimately fails, with Dad realizing Kate will always be his daughter (of course). But writer Michael LeSieur (this is his only IMDB credit) and directors Joe and Anthony Russo give us enough laughs and slippery story twists to make the hour and 45 minutes entertaining despite the predictable end. Most of them come from Wilson’s character, who despite being in his mid 30s is still utterly naive and child-like. Seth Rogen, who was pretty good in 40 Year Old Virgin and apparently even more so in Knocked Up, is mostly wasted here as the third buddy in Carl and Dupree’s clique.

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The Holiday

Posted on March 26, 2007

Jack Black is usually a turn off for me but TS1 really wanted to see this and it was her turn. What can I say except that my wife is often a better judge than me, since this was an intelligent romantic comedy. Writer/director Nancy Myers has a decent track record with Something’s Gotta Give and What Women Want and did not “take one off” here either.

Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet are both hard working career types, Diaz an LA film trailer powerhouse and Winslet a stepped-on London newspaperwoman, and as The Holiday begins both have their hearts shattered. Looking for a holiday getaway, Diaz finds Winslet’s charming English countryside cottage on a switch homes vacation site and the two agree on the swap. Black is romantic interest waiting for Winslet in Malibu, Jude Law is Winslet’s brother. Eli Wallach is the treasured LA neighbor, a long-retired screenwriter from Hollywood’s Golden Age, who returns Winslet’s friendship by being a mentor.

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Music and Lyrics

Posted on February 25, 2007

Alex Fletcher was one half of the creative force of ’80s British hair band PoP–think Andrew Ridgely of Wham but playing keyboards and doing more of the singing and songwriting–who sunk into the lowest rung of the oldies circuit after his better looking partner Colin went off to solo glory. Sophie Fisher is an aspiring writer of poetry and fiction who sunk into depression and substitute plant watering after her professor/lover diteched her when his fiance returned from sabbatical and then turned their affair into a bestselling novel with, of course, Sophie as the evil, talentless seductress.

Music and Lyrics is the charming story of the chance for Alex (Hugh Grant) and Sophie (Drew Barymore) to climb out of their holes when Alex is offered the opportunity to write a song called “Way Back Into Love” for hot young thing Cora Corman (Haley Bennett, making an impressive film debut). Fletcher, having been the composer to Colin’s lyricist in PoP, needs help since there are only three days to deliver and Sophie fortuitously mumbles some quality verse as she waters the plants in his apartment while he tries to work with a mercenary but successful lyricist.

Writer/director Marc Lawrence, who wrote several Sandra Bullock vehicles, such as Two Weeks Notice (his directorial debut, also co-starring Grant), Force of Nature and Miss Congeniality, does not stray terribly far from the well-worn romantic comedy path but does it well and has help from very good performances by the three lead actors as well as Brad Garrett (the current Fox sitcom ‘Til Death and Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alex’s manager and Kirsten Johnson (Third Rock from the Sun) as Sophie’s larger than life older sister/huge Alex Fletcher fan.

Lawrence opens the movie by showing us the video of PoP’s biggest hit from back in the day and trust me, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen a big haired Hugh Grant prancing and singing in it. We’re watching the clip because Alex is at a reality TV show’s office as they want him to be a contestant in Battle of the ’80s Has Beens, in which two performers box for the chance to sing their old hit. He declines with some incredibly British wit, crisp enough that the producers don’t understand he’s turned them down until after the meeting. Garrett in turn cuts Grant down a notch with the news that several amusement parks and state fairs have cancelled his scheduled shows.

Out of the blue, Cora’s people call up with their offer. It turns out that she’s a huge Fletcher/PoP fan and wants a song from him for her new CD, a duet they can perform together. Getting there is the plot; of course they succeed, and fall in love too, but must overcome the usual obstacles.

Haley Bennet spends much of her screen time wearing incredibly skimpy costumes, showing a lot more skin than the least clothed photo I found on IMDB. In a sign that I’m truly aging, however, she really never got me excited. Ah well…
Adam Schlesinger of the band Fountains of Wayne provides most of the original music for the film, much as he did for the similar inside-the-biz That Thing You Do! (which I really ought to write up, having watched it again recently and very much enjoyed), though Grant, Barymore and Bennett do their own singing.

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The Family Stone

Posted on December 31, 2006

This 2005 effort from newcomer writer/director Thomas Bezucha had, I think, more potential than ended up on screen: the plot is wellworn but Bezucha brings a few good twists, recognizable/proven talents are in almost all the significant speaking roles and for the most part engaging chemistry. Oldest brother, successful career but disconnected from his true emotional self, brings home his even more successful and even more disconnected girlfriend for a snowy, small town New England Christmas to meet his mellow, wildly different family and then propose to her.

Over the 100 minutes of The Family Stone Dermot Mulroney (the brother) and Sarah Jessica Parker (the girlfriend) reach the lowest of lows and (this being a movie) rebound to true happiness. When Parker hits hers she reaches out to younger sister Clare Danes; somehow, never clear to me, stoner middle brother Luke Wilson is as smitten with Parker as Mulroney is with the nearly-glowing Danes as she steps off the bus.

The problem here for me is that Family is maudlin, nearly melodramatic. I say this because of the illness of mother Diane Keaton, the youngest brother is both gay and deaf, the youngest sister (Rachel McAdams) criticizes Parker for being an uptight phony and turns out to be nearly the same herself. Then there’s the final scene, a year after the main events, which was really unnecessary.

mildly recommended

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Must Love Dogs

Posted on December 30, 2006

This mildly amusing romantic comedy mainly works because of the two leads, Diane Lane and John Cusack. As the movie opens both are heartbroken after losing the respective longterm partner and in little mood to find another. Of course meddling family and friends will not leave them be and so the two meet (along with numerous others).

Cusack is immediately smitten but the contrived plotting of writers Gary David Goldberg (Family Ties, Spin City, the similarly-themed though not nearly as good 1995 film Bye Bye Love) and Claire Cook (who also wrote the novel on which this is based) keeps them from finding happiness together. Goldberg also directed.

Lane, a kindergarden teacher, becomes intrigued by Dermot Mulroney, the father of a cute little student; in the end Mulroney proves to be the typical pig male. Cusack, more or less by default, takes up with a slutty blonde played by Jordana Spiro. Lane’s dad, the ever-elegant Christopher Plummer, is single again and content to enjoy his remaining time unencumbered by treating his lady friends with respect–in other words an older version of Mulroney’s character. Just with better style.

This is very much a Hollywood movie, so you should not be surprised or think I’m spoiling the movie by telling you that Lane eventually realizes she was a fool not to latch on to Cusack and rushes to let him know. The good of this movie is not the originality or plot, which are more than a bit by the numbers, but the acting. In addition to the previously-mentioned, the cast also includes good supporting performances by Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing and Glen Howerton.

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Wedding Crashers

Posted on October 2, 2006

Although a bit uncertain over whether it wants to be a farce or romantic comedy, this flick out of the Wilson/Ferrell/Vaughn crew is still pretty funny. Not as funny as it could have been if Owen Wilson’s puppy dog eyes were left out and the plot attached more completely to the actual wedding crashing, but still okay.

Wedding Crashers is the story of John Beckwith (Owen Wilson, the blonde brother) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn), mid-30s DC yuppies who have the rulebook for how to successful crash any wedding as the penultimate source of loose women. Only superhot loose women for them, easily acquired through a complete set of stories, tricks and over the top joie de vivre suitable to any crowd. The opening 30 minutes or so, as we watch the pair go through a sequence of weddings and after-wedding sex, are brilliantly hilarious.

Then they decide to crash the wedding of the season, the oldest daughter of the Secretary of the Treasury. Not only is he Owen’s economic idol, his family is intended to model the Kennedys with multi-generational political service, touch football games at the family compound and a passion for sailing. At the wedding Vaughn hooks up with the seemingly kooky youngest daughter (played with flair by Down Under hotness Ilsa Fisher) and Wilson with the middle daughter (Rachel McAdams)–Vaughn as per SOP for a single slog but Wilson falls for his.

The second act of the film covers the 36 hours after the wedding when the boys are invited back to the Clearly estate. Immediately we get two wrenches–McAdams is essentially engaged (to Bradley Cooper, Will from Alias) to a two-faced bastard and Fisher is not going to let Vaughn off the hook that easily. Here’s where the film turns into a just above average romantic comedy: Wilson and McAdams are clearly meant for each other but Cooper is slick and sleazy enough to keep them apart. And tough, as he and his buddies are not above repeated beatings to keep the status quo.

The script by new boys Steve Faber and Bob Fisher and the direction from David Dobkin, who worked with Vaughn in Clay Pigeons and Wilson in Shaghai Knights (the sequel, not the first), has sufficent laughs and hot chicks to make up for the slower bits. Although the creepy scenes towards the end with Will Ferrell, as Vaughn’s crashing mentor, would surely have been left in the editing room if Chazz Reinhold had been played by a less commercially significant actor.

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