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 | character names as title | forenames as title | 

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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

This movie became well know among fans of comedian Artie Lange after his interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. Lange was describing taking heroin for the very first time in a hotel room. Lange said "when people ask me why is heroin addictive, this is my answer: the movie on the TV was Alex & Emma with Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson, and I never turned it off."

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Goofs

Alex's face is unshaven before he kisses Emma, and in the next shot (as they actually kiss) is completely smooth.

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Quotes

Emma Dinsmore: I can't figure out what's worse, having to know every single detail of your desperate love for some other woman, or having to know that you obviously didn't even come close to feeling the same way about me.

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Connections

Remake of The Gambler (1997)

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Soundtracks

Charleston
Written by James P. Johnson and Cecil Mack
Performed by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label, a unit of BMG Music
Under license from BMG Special Products

User Reviews

A saccharine romance based on Dostoyevsky

No, Alex and Emma is not based on a Dostoyevsky story--it's based on an event in Dostoyevsky's life (1867). When he was 46, he married his 19-year-old stenographer whom he had hired while working on "The Gambler"--hastily written to fulfill a contractual obligation in order to pay off gambling debts. The stenographer was the calming influence in his life after a wild, doomed love affair with a woman who didn't mind spending his money but who refused to marry him.

I saw this story previously in the Russian film, "Sixty Days" (Hollywood just has to speed up the clock). This played at a film festival, is awaiting five votes on IMDb, and will probably never be available again for viewing.

But it was the better of the two movies.