Alex & Emma (2003)

A writer must turn out a novel in thirty days or face the wrath of loan sharks.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer:

Jeremy Leven

Stars:

Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, David Paymer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Wilson	...	Alex Sheldon / Adam Shipley
Chino XL	...	Tony / Flamenco Dancer #2
Lobo Sebastian	...	Bobby / Flamenco Dancer #1
Rob Reiner	...	Wirschafter
Kate Hudson	...	Emma Dinsmore / Ylva / Elsa / Eldora / Anna
Paul Willson	...	Whistling John Shaw
David Paymer	...	John Shaw
Sophie Marceau	...	Polina Delacroix
Alexander Wauthier	...	Andre Delacroix
Leili Kramer	...	Michele Delacroix
Rip Taylor	...	Polina's Father
Gigi Bermingham	...	Madame Blanche
Jordan Lund	...	Claude
François Giroday	...	Croupier
Robert Costanzo	...	Bus Driver

Storyline

A romantic comedy: Alex is an author whose writer's block and gambling debts have landed him in a jam. In order get loan sharks off his back, he must finish his novel in 30 days or wind up dead. To help him complete his manuscript he hires stenographer Emma. As Alex begins to dictate his tale of a romantic love triangle to the charming yet somewhat opinionated stenographer, Emma challenges his ideas at every turn. Her unsolicited yet intriguing input begins to inadvertently influence Alex and his story and soon real life begins to imitate art.

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Plot Keywords:

writer | novel | stenographer | loan shark | love | 

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Taglines:

Is it love... or are they just imagining things?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

20 June 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Loosely Based on a True Love Story

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$114,881 (South Africa) (19 September 2003)

Gross:

$215,481 (South Africa) (3 October 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Epsilon Motion Pictures, Franchise Pictures, Reiner-Greisman

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite what Emma believes, Ylva *is* a Swedish name.

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Goofs

As Emma says the end of her "Cuban invasion" line in Alex's apartment, she is seen only in silhouette but her lips are clearly not moving.

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Quotes

Emma Dinsmore: What's your book about?
Alex: It's the story of a man who's frightened of commitment yet so desperately in love with a woman he's afraid it might kill him. It's a comedy.

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Connections

Remake of Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

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Soundtracks

"It All Depends on You"
Written by Les Brown, Buddy G. DeSylva (as BG De Sylvia) and Ray Henderson
Performed by Jess Harnell

User Reviews

Endearing Hybrid of ADAPTATION and PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES

Rob Reiner's return to the romantic comedy genre starts out pleasant but unremarkable -- that is, until the Central Casting Cuban loan sharks leave (though it's funny when they appear in the novel-within-the-movie as shady flamenco dancers) and wastrel writer Alex Sheldon (any relation to Paul Sheldon in Reiner's earlier adaptation of MISERY? Hmm... :-) starts dictating his novel to smart, opinionated stenographer Emma Dinsmore. That's when ALEX & EMMA springs to life like a goofy cross between ADAPTATION and PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES. Luke Wilson is likable enough as Alex, but I must admit I think his brother Owen Wilson would've brought more verve and magnetism to the role. (Man, Owen Wilson and Kate Hudson together on the big screen -- I'd pay full admission price for that! But I digress... :-) As Emma, our household fave Kate Hudson plays a slightly starchier brunette version of her usual endearing self. In particular, she seems to be having great fun playing not only Emma, but also several variations of the same constantly-revamped au pair/cook/all-purpose domestic in Alex's novel-in-progress as it's enacted onscreen. I liked Emma as soon as I realized she and I share a certain quirk: we both like to read the end of books before buying them (albeit for slightly different reasons: Emma feels if the ending isn't good, it's a waste of time to read the book, whereas I like to see how the rest of the book happened to lead up to that particular ending. But I'm digressing again -- this movie had that effect on me; make of that what you will! :-)! I think writers would appreciate ALEX AND EMMA more than most moviegoers, if only because it does a pretty good job of getting into a writer's head, and the gags involving the novel-within-the-film are funny and inventive. Interestingly, ALEX & EMMA is very loosely based on Dostoyevsky's relationship with his stenographer, who he wed in real life. In fact, the movie's original title, LOOSELY BASED ON A TRUE LOVE STORY, would also have fit the novel-within-the-film, which turns out to have more parallels with Alex's real-life experiences than he'd previously admitted. (THOSE SWEET WORDS would've been a good title as well, especially since that's also the name of the Norah Jones song over the end credits.) Anyway, ALEX & EMMA would be a nice "date movie" for writers and the people who love them; now that it's available on home video, why not rent it for a snuggly movie-watching evening at home? :-)