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

The bio on the back of Alex's first book reads, "Alex Sheldon has worked for many years in the Boston area. He is currently not married and lives very much alone."

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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

Adam Shipley: He was wracked with confusion. For the first time in his life, he understood the true meaning of the expressions "horns of a dilemma" and "between a rock and a hard place" - although the concept of "paying through the nose" had always tormented him. How does the money get in the nose in the first place? Once in, is it pulled out by hand, or is a sneeze involved? And who would accept such a transaction? Burning questions all, but he had bigger fish to fry.

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Connections

Remake of The Gambler (1997)

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Soundtracks

"Limehouse Blues"
Written by Philip Braham and Douglas Furber
Performed by Fletcher Henderson
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under licence from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Cute but too much yada yada yada

In "Alex & Emma" Alex, a writer, Alex (Wilson), spends most of the run dictating a romance novel to his stenographer, Emma (Hudson), in his Boston apartment. As the novel develops, Emma becomes more involved in the process and, of course, in Alex. Periodically the film cuts away to vignettes in the world of the novel with Wilson and Hudson playing the lead characters. As a result we get to watch the couple slowly gravitate toward one another with predictable results. Overall the film is watchable though not memorable, eminently predictable, and relies heavily on Wilson and Hudson. Production value is par, the chemistry is just so-so, the ending is clever and twisty, and the sum of the parts is something which will be most enjoyed by sentimental romcom junkies. (C+)