Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Justin Long | ... | Sam | |
Keir O'Donnell | ... | Eliot | |
Evan Rachel Wood | ... | Birdie | |
Gideon Glick | ... | Fan | |
Sienna Miller | ... | Sarah | |
Mizuo Peck | ... | Jemily | |
Peter Dinklage | ... | Gerard | |
Busy Philipps | ... | Ashley | |
Sam Rockwell | ... | Gary | |
Vince Vaughn | ... | Alan | |
Adam Johnson | ... | Improv Comedian #1 | |
Jee Young Han | ... | Improv Comedian #2 | |
Jenn Harris | ... | Jackie | |
Demosthenes Chrysan | ... | Cab Driver | |
Lynn Cohen | ... | Harriet |
Stuck with writer's block, Sam (Justin Long) concocts a fake identity to snag local street artist Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood). After his roommate suggests checking her Facebook profile, Sam begins to shape himself into the ideal man for her. After pretending to accidentally meet at a comedy club and they become ballroom dance partners. Sam begins to write a novel based on their relationship. Can he keep up the charade as it gets more and more difficult? Written by Anonymous
In the age of social media, dating has become infinitely more complicated, and the ability to pore over your loved one's Facebook profile or Twitter feed to find those little idiosyncracies that make them unique is something we've probably all experienced. But what happens when you start taking it a bit too far?
Written by Justin Long (who also stars), A Case of You follows struggling writer Sam, whose daily trips to a local coffee shop have left him infatuated with the free-spirited Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood). Unfortunately, Birdie loses her job before Sam works up the nerve to ask her out, but never fear - with a little bit of Facebook stalking, Sam can not only find out where she'll be next, he can also begin molding himself into her ideal match.
Yes, it sounds more than a little creepy, but Long is charming and charismatic enough to keep us interested, and Sam's willingness to put himself into incredibly awkward situations in order to impress Birdie result in some humorous exchanges. There are also a few laugh-out-loud moments that come courtesy of Keir O'Donnell as Sam's roommate and Peter Dinklage as a flamboyantly sassy barista.
While amusing at times, A Case of You doesn't stray far from the typical romantic comedy template: boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy learns important life lesson and tries to win girl back. The chemistry between Long and Wood is believable, and watching them together is far from boring, but the film never aspires to be more than a paint-by-numbers affair. It's a decent first effort for screenwriter Long, but certainly nothing that reinvents the genre.
-- Brent Hankins, www.nerdrep.com