i went to see this movie expecting something along the lines of Serendipitous, with dogs instead of snow. while i certainly was not disappointed at all with the dogs, i was definitely disappointed in the story.
Diane Lane is cute but annoyingly passive as Sarah, and John Cusack is typically quirky but definitely appealing as Jake. i didn't have a hard time sympathizing with Jake as he was written, but i quickly found Sarah and her life to be a bit of an impediment to letting go and enjoying the movie. her lack of willingness to take some control over what's going on in the first half of the movie is grating, and her later efforts to take control make her seem unbalanced rather than powerful. however, Cusack is at his usual engaging level of character portrayal, which made the movie still pleasant to watch despite the fact that the ending is terribly predictable in the most obvious 'Bridget Jones' style of romantic resolution (and there are quite a few eye-rolling moments in the denouement afterward).
as far as the supporting cast, it's a mixed bag. Ben Shenkman is an acting eyesore and i wish i never had to see him act again. despite the fact that i like Elizabeth Perkins' acting, her character Carol made me want to yell at the screen. happily, Stockard Channing is totally charming and charismatic as Dolly, the eccentric somewhat-sorta girlfriend of Sarah's father. i believe Channing is going to inherit Ruth Gordon's role as the perfect awesome older woman. Christopher Plummer does a good job as Sarah's father, and i totally bought his character... until the Yeats. Dermot Mulroney was underused as the "am i good or am i bad?" secondary romantic interest, and Michael Spound was a truly terrific foil to the others as a gay coworker and friend of Sarah's.
if you're looking for a completely mindless, drama-free romantic movie experience, this isn't a bad choice at all - just tune out when Plummer starts quoting poetry!
Diane Lane is cute but annoyingly passive as Sarah, and John Cusack is typically quirky but definitely appealing as Jake. i didn't have a hard time sympathizing with Jake as he was written, but i quickly found Sarah and her life to be a bit of an impediment to letting go and enjoying the movie. her lack of willingness to take some control over what's going on in the first half of the movie is grating, and her later efforts to take control make her seem unbalanced rather than powerful. however, Cusack is at his usual engaging level of character portrayal, which made the movie still pleasant to watch despite the fact that the ending is terribly predictable in the most obvious 'Bridget Jones' style of romantic resolution (and there are quite a few eye-rolling moments in the denouement afterward).
as far as the supporting cast, it's a mixed bag. Ben Shenkman is an acting eyesore and i wish i never had to see him act again. despite the fact that i like Elizabeth Perkins' acting, her character Carol made me want to yell at the screen. happily, Stockard Channing is totally charming and charismatic as Dolly, the eccentric somewhat-sorta girlfriend of Sarah's father. i believe Channing is going to inherit Ruth Gordon's role as the perfect awesome older woman. Christopher Plummer does a good job as Sarah's father, and i totally bought his character... until the Yeats. Dermot Mulroney was underused as the "am i good or am i bad?" secondary romantic interest, and Michael Spound was a truly terrific foil to the others as a gay coworker and friend of Sarah's.
if you're looking for a completely mindless, drama-free romantic movie experience, this isn't a bad choice at all - just tune out when Plummer starts quoting poetry!