The Rewrite

What a fun and charming movie. It's so good to see Hugh Grant in a film that utilizes both his comedic timing and that let's him ground himself in things a bit more serious. It would be easy to dismiss this film as formulaic (and I suppose it is to a certain extent, but what movie isn't these days?), but it does allow Grant's character to peel back some layers to reveal a man more complicated and not quite so lacking in depth as you might expect at first. Marisa Tomei is wonderful as Grant's student and confidant. It's so nice to see two talented actors of comparable age building a terrific camaraderie and rapport with each other and the dialogue. JT Simmons is terrifically funny with a nice supporting role as the dean. In fact, the whole supporting case is great. This is the movie that happens when you have a tremendous cast, taking a nice story, and making it believable and funny without some of the hackneyed tics that Hollywood always likes to tack on. Really worth your time.