Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writer (WGA):

Victor Levin (written by)

Release Date:

23 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

In every love story, there's only room for one leading man.

Plot:

A small-town girl wins a date with a male celebrity through a contest. When the date goes better than expected, a love triangle forms between the girl, the male celebrity, and the girl's best friend.

Plot Keywords:

Date | West Virginia | Best Friend | Contest | Small Town Girl

Awards:

8 nominations

Cast

Kate Bosworth	...	Rosalee Futch
Topher Grace	...	Pete Monash
Josh Duhamel	...	Tad Hamilton
Nathan Lane	...	Richard Levy the Driven
Sean Hayes	...	Richard Levy the Shameless
Gary Cole	...	Henry Futch
Ginnifer Goodwin	...	Cathy Feely
Kathryn Hahn	...	Angelica
Octavia Spencer	...	Janine
Amy Smart	...	Nurse Betty
Ren Trostle	...	Porsche Woman
Wendy Worthington	...	Customer
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	George Ruddy
Moon Bloodgood	...	Gorgeous Woman
Mary Jo Smith	...	Sonja

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some drug references and language.

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-3 | South Korea:12 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Canada:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40480)

Filming Locations:

Charleston, West Virginia, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

In the scene near the beginning of the movie, where the camera switches back and forth from Tad to Pete, Pete eventually sits down to dinner with a book. The book is titled A Good Man is Hard to Find, which is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor, a prominent Catholic author who lived in the Protestant-dominant south in a small town probably similar to that of Rosalee and Pete's small town.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tad and Rosealee are flying to California, Tad sits in a single seat while talking to her. He turns to look out of the window and his right cheek is light by the sun shining through the window. In the reverse shot, his cheek is totally dark.

Quotes:

Rosalee: Yikes-a-bee

Movie Connections:

References The Road to El Dorado (2000)

Soundtrack:

Superfabulous

Chick Flick, but don't completely scrap it

This movie is definitely a "chick flick." Both male leads are played pretty well. Josh Duhamel portrays the self-absorbed actor well, but has difficulty being believable when he is supposedly being sincere. Of course, maybe that's the point. Topher Grace, on the other hand, is able to portray an emotion in very subtle ways, and is therefore perfect as the inwardly-tortured old friend.

Kate Bosworth's character seems to be quite one-dimensional, and not always consistently. She is overly naive, even for a small town hick. I get the impression that the Hollywood types who wrote her part have never been to a small town, or at least, not since the 50s. There are sweet, wholesome people in this world, but they are more realistic than this girl. It is difficult to ascertain who the protagonist is. Is it Topher or Kate? His character has more depth than hers, but it appears that the story revolves around her.

Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes provide much-needed comedy and interest to the story. I found myself looking forward to their appearances on-screen. Funny moments and a few good performances make it worthwhile, but I definitely believe it will appeal more to us women than the men.