The Rewrite (2014)

An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there.

Director:

Marc Lawrence

Writer:

Marc Lawrence

Stars:

Hugh Grant, Whit Baldwin, Vanessa Wasche

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant	...	Keith Michaels
Whit Baldwin	...	Doug
Vanessa Wasche	...	Rona
Enid Graham	...	Trina
Shannon Marie Sullivan	...	Sue
Jason Antoon	...	Greg Nathan
Jenny Neale	...	Jenny Glick
Caroline Aaron	...	Ellen
Billy Griffith	...	TSA Agent
Kevin Michael Kennedy	...	TSA Officer Kevin (as Kevin Kennedy)
Ali Merhi	...	TSA Agent Ali
Bella Heathcote	...	Karen Gabney
Lily Wen	...	Judy
Olivia Luccardi	...	Chloe
Chris Elliott	...	Jim Harper

Storyline

Keith Michaels, an academy award winner for his screenplay for the movie "Paradise Misplaced", now faces the challenge of being rejected in Hollywood. To get a breakthrough he is forced to take the job he most hates, teaching. The assignment is at a college is far from his comforts and could possibly take him to a new life.

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Plot Keywords:

struggling writer | screenwriting | down on his luck | career change | teacher student relationship | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about getting on the same page.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

13 February 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Reluctant Professor

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Resnick Interactive Development

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jim tells Keith he is dating a State Farm agent. J.K. Simmons is the national spokesperson for Farmer's Insurance.

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Goofs

During the first actual class, Flo Bai (Maggie Geha) is shown seated at the rear of the classroom wearing gold sandals. After the class she is shown leaving the classroom wearing fringed, black ankle boots.

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Quotes

Holly Carpenter: Hey! I'm driving you home.
Keith Michaels: Wow. This is a full service restaurant.
Holly Carpenter: Well, you had two glasses and you had two at the bar. And if you die I don't get to take your course and it's gonna screw up my whole schedule.
Keith Michaels: What about my car?
Holly Carpenter: It's a Hyundai. It'll be there in the morning.

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits several additional scenes are shown, including Sara crying while watching the end of "Dirty Dancing" on her computer in a library cubicle and Holly dancing with her daughters in the dance studio.

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Connections

References Clueless (1996)

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Soundtracks

Welcome Back Emma
Written and Performed by Clyde Lawrence
Courtesy of Clyde Lawrence

User Reviews

At first glance, a witless retread; on a closer look, a smart, sweet story that deals very well with its themes of redemption and romance.

Stop us if you've heard this one before. A writer with a huge hit under his belt stumbles headlong into obscurity, but unexpectedly gets his mojo back when he befriends - and falls in love with - a woman who jolts him out of his comfort zone. It's not just the plot of Music And Lyrics, a film made seven years ago, starring Hugh Grant and written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It's also the plot of The Rewrite, a movie made seven years later, starring Hugh Grant and written and directed by Marc Lawrence. This blatant recycling of plot, star and director should be quite enough to turn even the most undiscerning of audience members cynical and dismissive of the final result. And yet, The Rewrite surprises rather than annoys, revealing a newfound and very welcome maturity in both director and star.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Keith Michaels (Grant) is down in the dumps: he can't get a job in Hollywood anymore, and he's been estranged from his family for years. To stem - or perhaps as part of - his downward spiral, he reluctantly agrees to teach a screen writing course in a small, remote college town as far-removed from the excesses of Hollywood as it's possible to get. He promptly gets into trouble when he arrives, diving into an inappropriate sexual relationship with student Karen (Bella Heathcote) and offending stern Professor Mary Weldon (Allison Janney) with his vaguely sexist opinions. But, as the term progresses, he begins to find inspiration in his students, ranging from a Star Wars nut through to a writing prodigy, but most importantly, optimistic single mom Holly (Marisa Tomei).

On paper, it's a recipe for dire predictability. Arrogant, formerly famous writer brought to his knees and taught the value of humility, feminism and love. Of course Holly will win Keith over with her spirit and heart. Evidently he will find in teaching the meaning that has been lost in his life for far too long. Obviously it means that our protagonist will become - gasp! - a better man. As it turns out, it's pretty safe to make all of these assumptions: The Rewrite doesn't re-invent the romantic comedy, nor does it fling any huge surprises at the audience. Keith's rehabilitation is a foregone conclusion the moment he cruises into town.

But The Rewrite subverts expectations by being, well, really rather good. You might be able to see the big plot twists coming from a mile away, but Lawrence's script and characters are sharp and funny enough to provide plenty of tiny, pleasant surprises throughout the film. Keith's Hollywood arrogance and casual sexism are never excused or passed off as part of his roguish charm - instead, he's called out on them at every turn. The women he encounters, especially Karen and Holly, are also very far from being the disposable stereotypes that tend to populate rom-coms. The former isn't simply a brainless, sexual diversion, and the latter gets firmly into Keith's face and refuses to let him take the easy way out, as one suspects he's been doing for a very long time.

Even the supporting characters who typically waltz in and out of scenes for a hit-and-run gag or two are memorably drawn, aided by the fact that they're played by some of the best character actors in the business. J.K. Simmons is a hoot as Dr. Lerner, the English department head who gets all weepy at any mention of his wife and daughters; and Janney, marvellous as always, hits the perfect note of imperious disdain as an Austen enthusiast horrified as much by Keith's skirt-chasing as his belief that movie scripts can be considered great literature.

It's refreshing, too, to see Grant embrace his age and really exercise his acting muscles. He may be playing the older version of many a suave, shallow-but-not-really character he's played before, but there's a depth and sadness to Keith that feels real. Tomei is just as appealing as Holly - the character is a little underwritten (the fact that she's a single mom barely factors into the film, her daughters appearing for only one brief albeit charming dance sequence), but she doesn't feel that way in Tomei's hands. Grant and Tomei share a sweet, credible chemistry, if not exactly a combustible one, and this adds weight and colour to their unlikely on-screen relationship.

Given the nature and quality of Grant's earlier collaborations with Lawrence, most people probably aren't expecting The Rewrite to be anything more than a fun but forgettable rom-com, designed to entertain rather than to engage. And yes, as most people would imagine, the film doesn't reinvent the wheel and its plot is as predictable as it gets. But, as Keith realises during the semester, there's always time to look at things with a fresh eye - to give someone or something a second chance - and The Rewrite, imbued as it is with such welcome wit, heart and maturity, very much deserves that consideration.