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

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Wilson	...	Alex Sheldon / Adam Shipley
Derek Barbosa	...	Tony / Flamenco Dancer #2 (as Chino XL)
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:

paris when it sizzles | watching tv | falling into a puddle | writer | novel | 

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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 USA:

$6,111,074, 22 June 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$14,208,384, 10 August 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Epsilon Motion Pictures, Franchise Pictures, Reiner-Greisman

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The plot is loosely based on the life of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, author of "Crime and Punishment". He had promised to complete a new novel by a certain date, but one month before the deadline he hadn't written anything. After a recommendation, he hired a stenographer named Anna, who helped him complete "The Gambler" in 26 days. The plot of "The Gambler", which is based off of one of the author's own experiences, is about a tutor named Alexei who falls in love with Polina, who toys with him. Dostoyevsky and Anna fell in love during the writing process. They later married and had four children.

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Goofs

When Alex and Emma are talking in Alex's bedroom, the time on the alarm clock jumps forward and back several hours.

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Quotes

Polina Delacroix: Mr. Shipley, Ylva will set you up in the Guest Cottage.
Emma Dinsmore: Ylva? What kind of name is Ylva?
Alex Sheldon: She's Swedesh.
Emma Dinsmore: That's not a real name. Who made that up, Jaqcues Cartier?
Alex Sheldon: [growls] It's her name, okay?
Emma Dinsmore: Okay. How do you spell it?
Alex Sheldon: Just like it sounds.
Emma Dinsmore: I-L-V-A
Alex Sheldon: No. It's Y-L-V-A
Emma Dinsmore: [confused] Y-L-V-A? That's not how it's sounds!
[...]

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Connections

References Charade (1963)

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Soundtracks

Those Sweet Words
Written by Lee Alexander and Richard Julian
Performed by Norah Jones
Courtesy of Bluenote Records, a Division of Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Disappointing but Ok at times

I was actually looking forward to going to see Alex and Emma. I think Kate Hudson is a terrific actress and Luke Wilson is a good actor as long as he plays the right role. Sadly these two could not hold this movie together.

The movie's whole plot is really ridiculous. Luke Wilson's character Alex is supposed to finish writing his second novel in a month in order to pay off the mob. So Kate Hudson's character (Emma) works with Alex to help him write the book as he recites it. Well after that the movie starts getting rather slow and drags on. The only thing that makes this movie any fun is the arguments between Alex and Emma about how the scene in the book should be written. This makes most of the movie enjoyable. Another thing I enjoyed was Kate Hudson playing many different roles. They were amusing. Other than that, this film was very dull and forgettable. It's a shame because this movie, I think, had a lot of potential but the writing on this baby was pretty bad. The movie also has a very unoriginal ending which I am sure anyone without seeing the movie can guess. I really wonder why writers cannot create a different and unique ending for romantic movies.

Alex and Emma is not worth the night showing at the theater but it is worth a matinee or Video rental. I would have to give Alex and Emma a 6/10.