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Sense & Sensibility (2008)
Perfect adaptation of Austen's classic
This BBC production of the beloved Jane Austen novel was wonderful. Even better than the very worthy 1995 film. I've been reading the book and this miniseries, as well as any film production could, captures the essence of the novel, even staying true to most of the dialog from the book.
The actors seemed perfect for their roles and they gave very realistic and heartfelt performances. Marianne was as passionate and impetuous as you imagined her to be from the book. Elinor was a perfect portrait of restrained prudence, combined with carefully-concealed, deep emotions, just under the surface. The more whimsical characters such as Lord Middleton and Mrs. Jennings were fun and enjoyable. The villains, such as Fanny Dashwood, Mrs. Ferrars and Willoughby, were sufficiently hateable, without being caricatures. And the leading men, Colonel Brandon, with his reserved, understated virtue and Edward, with his warm, affable, unaffected charm, were suitors that even Miss Austen would heartily approve of. It was also fun to see a couple of familiar faces among the British cast, such as Dan Stevens as Edward, who we remember from Beauty and the Beast and Downton Abbey, and Mark Williams, who we remember as Mr. Weasly from the Harry Potter series.
The BBC, as always, made this period piece seem very authentic, from the costumes, to the scenery, to the lavish, Regency-era mansions. You truly feel like you are being transported into this era. I especially liked how they largely had the weather in coastal Devonshire be mostly cloudy and rainy. Anyone who has actually visited England knows that this is the usual weather there, not the atypical sunny weather that you see in many productions filmed in the UK. And, of course, the weather perfectly mirrored the mostly depressed moods of the characters in the story.
All in all, an entertaining, engaging production that maintained the spirit of Jane Austen's classic, while bringing it to life and making it accessible for modern audiences. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Fun, goofy movie
I've seen a lot of movies from Adam Sandler's prodigious catalog of offerings, but somehow, I missed Happy Gilmore. I recently watched it with my wife on Netflix. What can you say about a movie like this? It's vintage Sandler. Packed with juvenile, slapstick humor that's, nevertheless, laugh-out-loud funny at times. Laced with profanity and off-color jokes and gags that push the boundaries of good taste. Filled with goofy, exaggerated characters, with Sandler himself being the chief, loveable, loser goofball himself. It's a formula that's worked for him time and time again and this movie is no exception.
I wouldn't say I liked this one as much as many Sandler films I've seen. Other movies, such as 50 First Dates, The Wedding Singer and Blended had better relationship and character development. But Happy Gilmore was harmless fun, and it definitely made you laugh. To be fair, the relationships between Happy and his grandma and his golf coach Chubbs were pretty good. The romance between him and publicist Virginia felt a little underdeveloped and forced, but it was fine too.
This movie wasn't out to win any academy awards, but for what it was, a silly, feel-good comedy that made you laugh, it was great. I was definitely entertained for a couple of hours, and at the end of the day, that's all you really want in a movie.
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Interesting movie, frustratingly real
I'm the rare man who actually likes rom-coms. But this is not really a rom-com. Yeah, there's romance in it, kind of, but no real happy ending and only minimal comedy. I will give the movie kudos for being real. Achingly so. Frustratingly so. As a now happily married guy who went through several relationships like the Tom/Summer relationship in this movie, I was wincing in empathy for Tom throughout the whole film. This is a romance from a guy's perspective, and not in a good way. Any woman out there who thinks love and romance are just the domain of the female gender doesn't comprehend just how deeply men can fall in love and how horribly soul-crushing it can be for them when they get their hearts broken. The movie's great strength was that it felt real and genuine, and I suppose that's because the story was based on one of the co-writer's real-life failed relationships.
There were times when I wanted to throw something at the screen at both Summer and Tom. I mostly hated Summer's character. She was clearly attracted to Tom and I thought they had a lot of chemistry together. Yet, she continually kept insisting that she didn't want a relationship with him, and that they were only friends. Yet, you don't treat a "friend" the way she treated him. You don't hang out with them all the time. You don't kiss them and hold hands with them. You don't have sex with them on a regular basis, for crying out loud. It felt like she was stringing him along the whole time. The worst was when she acted friendly to him after they had broken up, hanging out with him and dancing romantically at their friend's wedding, then inviting him to her party, when the whole time she was dating and almost engaged to someone else. She knew how he felt about her, yet she was more than willing to treat him as her plaything and (let's be honest) her sex toy. Seeing her brought up major PTSD for me, thinking about girls in my single past who treated me the very same way.
Then there was Tom. Most of the movie, he was a simp. For those not up on Gen-Z lingo, that's a guy who is in love with a girl who doesn't return his affections and turns himself into a doormat for her. If Summer was the cold, heartless user, then Tom was her enabler, with his spineless, groveling devotion to her. From that first time that he let her define their relationship as "just friends", he sealed his doom. Instead of clinging onto her, happy to lick up whatever crumbs she felt willing to toss him from her table, he should've been out there dating other girls besides her. He should've made it clear that, if she wasn't willing to step up and admit she was in a relationship with him, he would find someone who would be. It's very telling that, after the one instance that he actually stood up to her, called her out on her crap, walked out the door, and resisted the temptation to call her, she actually broke down, came knocking at his door and said she was sorry. He needed to learn the lesson that you can't win over a girl by being a spineless wimp for her, because no girl wants that. It angered me to see him behave that way, because that's the way I also behaved so much of the time when I was single. The movie seemed to imply that their relationship didn't work out because they weren't right for each other, but that's BS. They could've been fine for each other, if he had played things differently. Or, he could've moved on from her quickly before investing so much of his heart, and he could've emerged with his self-respect intact and better able to win the next girl. The reason, I think. That I was so angry with these characters is because they were so typical of my own past.
I wasn't a big fan of how the movie jumped about so haphazardly between various stages of Tom and Summer's relationship. Some might call this imaginative and clever, but I just found it annoying and confusing. Maybe your real observant viewer would be able to follow everything, but your average person, like me, will just end up a little lost by the non-linear timeline. Better to have the whole movie be mostly a linear flashback of the relationship, in my opinion.
I gave this movie a fairly high rating, not because I particularly enjoyed the characters or the story. I much prefer happy endings. And don't say this movie had a happy ending, with that stupid, tacked-on bit at the end with that new girl named Autumn. The reason I rated it highly was because it was so true to life, and, as one who stood in Tom's shoes on more than one occasion, I can attest to that fact. It was mostly a sad movie, but you can't fault it for being silly or unrealistic. This is as gut-wrenchingly real a movie about love and relationships as you will ever get.
How to Pick Your Second Husband First (2018)
Cute idea, bad execution
The idea for this movie sounded kind of cute and fun. A marriage counselor and author of marriage books faces trouble in her own marriage, but fixes her relationship by using dog training techniques on her husband. So far, so good. But the screen writing was pretty bad, and the concept never came together well. I wanted to like this movie. The actors were pretty good and tried hard. But they could only do so much with the material they were given.
The biggest problem with this movie was that Jillian, the main character, was so unlikable. She was extremely controlling and petty. So, her husband Justin showed up to her big event slightly underdressed. Big deal. He wanted to take her on a romantic vacation to Paris, and she acts like it's the worst thing in the world. And she refused to communicate with him. How did this lady get to be a marriage therapist, let alone a best-selling author on marriage? She was so arrogant, acting like her way was the only way, and that even applied to how she treated her dog. And then, when Justin finally came home from his trip, she flat out lied to his face, making him believe that Henry was a guy instead of her dog in order to make him jealous! Justin may have been a little clueless as a husband, but he wasn't a bad guy. I'd say he was kind of a saint to put up with her for so long.
The plot of this movie was really weird and didn't flow smoothly. So, he decided to just go on the romantic trip to Europe by himself? Who does that? It just seemed really weird. This was supposed to be a romantic movie about how Jillian "trained" her husband with dog training techniques, but that part only came toward the end of the movie. Most of the movie, they weren't even together. He was in Europe and she was having all this drama at home. How can you do a romance where your couple aren't even together for most of the movie? She didn't even call him while he was gone. Only after much prodding from her friend, did she even send him a lame, tentative text or two. Heck, the two of them don't even say "I love you", even in the final scene where they kiss. How do you have a romance where the lovers don't even say, "I love you'? I think this screenwriter really doesn't like writing romance and/or is just not good at it, so she tried to write a romance movie with as little romance as possible. It just doesn't work.
Oh, and don't get me started on Jillian's mom. What a horrible, cynical person! Her daughter's marriage is in trouble, and all she can do is make snide remarks about how bad men are and how they are not to be trusted. So your whole soul is full of bitterness because your own marriage failed. Why spread that toxic hatred to your own daughter? And then, inexplicably, she becomes nice and supportive at the end. Why did the story even need this character, and if it did, why did she have to be so bad?
To be fair, the movie did have a good message or two. I really liked the message that, while Jillian thought she was training her husband, she was actually the one being trained. She was the real problem and she was the one who needed to change. She needed to be nicer to him, respond to his needs more, and basically just accept him and love him for who he was, like you would a dog.
If I had written this screenplay, here's how it would have gone. Justin takes a job as a rock-climbing guide in Europe. He invites Jillian to go, pitching it as a romantic trip, but in reality, he just wants a trial separation from her, because he can't deal with her constant negativity toward him. She says she can't go because of work, and he angrily leaves to go on the trip alone. She soon realizes she misses him, and deeply senses how hypocritical she is, giving advice to others about marriage when her own is in serious trouble. In her loneliness, she takes on Henry the dog, and, after fits and starts, successfully trains him. She desperately wants her husband back, but he seems disinclined to want to come home. She begs him to come home to give it one last chance, and he begrudgingly agrees, expecting it not to work out. On advice from her friend, she starts using the dog training techniques on him. He is skeptical and resistant at first, but she eventually wins him over and their marriage appears to be saved. Then, he finds out she was "training" him, and he leaves her again in a huff. She feels guilty that she had been manipulating him, but her friend helps her come to the epiphany that she was the one who was really being trained, not Justin. As he is leaving to fly back to Europe for good, she makes the grand gesture of rushing to the airport to meet him. She bares her soul and tells him that she loves him, and would do anything to make their marriage work. And she agrees to stop trying to change him and promises to accept him for who he is. He confesses he still loves her, and they both get on the plane together, this time for the romantic vacation that he had promised. And she writes her new book while relaxing in the sun with Justin on the French Riviera. Wouldn't that have been a better plot?
I kind of feel bad picking this movie apart, and I wish I could recommend it more highly, but I can't. You may find this movie mildly diverting for 90 minutes, but most likely, you will watch it and end up just as frustrated as I was.
Blended (2014)
Fun, feel-good, Adam Sandler movie
Adam Sandler is definitely a genius at making feel-good, somewhat raunchy comedies. I'd say this was one of his better ones. As an aging comedian and film maker, it seems he was trying to make Blended a little more substantive than some of his earlier work. You still had the classic Sandlerisms, of course. The over-the-top slapstick, such as Drew Barrymore spitting out French Onion soup at the restaurant. The juvenile, off-color jokes and gags, such as the rhinos humping, or Adam finding Drew in the porno mag section of the drugstore. You knew, of course, when Drew's friend was dating a guy named Dick that this would eventually come around to a stupid penis joke. But, if you can get past the silly and crude content, there's a lot to enjoy about this movie.
There were definitely plenty of laugh out loud funny parts in this movie. Crude or not, you judge an Adam Sandler comedy based on whether or not it made you laugh, and this one did. But beyond that, you have characters in this movie that are mostly realistic and well developed. Sandler, far from playing the goofball, as in many of his movies, plays a pretty normal, decent guy and a loving single dad. Sure, he has his rough edges, but he's likable and relatable. In fact, the first scenes when he was on a date with Drew and was such an over-the-top jerk seemed way out of character for him. I wish they'd toned these down, or made his actions into nervous faux pas instead of intentional jerkiness. Drew's character was great too. She was a no-nonsense, mama-bear, single mother, and definitely a control freak in need of loosening up, but she was also warm and sympathetic. She was something of a straight guy to Sandler's comedian, but she had her moments where she was funny too. The two of them definitely had chemistry, as in their previous movies together. I liked the developing relationships they had with the kids too, probably as much or more than the romantic relationship. The romance was good, but probably could have been developed a little more. The plot of the movie was sweet and engaging and mostly believable.
The movie wasn't without its rough spots. For example, I really didn't get why Sandler wanted his girls, especially his oldest daughter Hillary, to be tomboys. Yeah, I guess he was really into sports, and, as a single dad, didn't know how to relate to girls on any other level. The quirks of the kids were sometimes a bit much to take, such as Sandler's daughter Espn (even the stupid name is weird) and her delusion that her dead mom is still in the room with her, and Drew's son's pornographic obsession with his babysitter. Also, the ex-husband was portrayed as way too much of a jerk. It might have been more interesting if he really was trying to be a good dad and he and Drew really were trying to patch things up at some point. As much as many a divorced person might try to portray their ex as the Devil, most ex-spouses are not inherently bad people. The rough patches were, thankfully, relatively minor.
The cinematography of Africa and the beautiful resort was spectacular. It made me want to go there on vacation myself. All in all, this was a fun, sweet movie with characters that you liked and became invested in and relationships that pulled at your heartstrings and made you shed an occasional tear. The satisfying, happy ending was great. Would that all blended families could work out as well as this one.
Unfrosted (2024)
Silly, throwaway fluff
This movie was 90 minutes of pure silliness. You know from the first ten minutes that you can't take it seriously. It's kind of like a Tim Burton movie, but with more humor and pop culture references. The world of the 1963 cereal wars (not even sure if that was a thing) was recreated in amazing detail. Of course, it wasn't really historically accurate, but it wasn't supposed to be. It's a spoof and you have to take it as such. I'm a Boomer, and so I got most of the pop culture references, but I'm pretty sure most would be lost on younger generations. That's what happens, I guess, when you have a comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, who is 70 years old, making a movie about a decade that is 60 years removed from us.
This movie was like a non-stop barrage of often bizarre jokes and gags, and honestly, though a few of them were funny, most kind of missed the mark. A great example is when Mr. Schwinn actually died while testing the Pop Tarts prototype, and at his funeral, his coffin was buried with cereal and milk as his widow incredulously looked on. You got the feeling that Mr. Seinfeld and company were sitting around a room trying to come up with the most crazy cereal-related gag imaginable, and they came up with this monstrosity. Sorry, how is the pointless death of an innocent, benign character supposed to be funny? This reminds me of movies like Airplane or The Naked Gun, where they throw as much comedic spaghetti as possible up on the ceiling and see how much of it sticks. This movie didn't do it nearly as well as those movies, though.
This movie was definitely an assault on your senses. I wouldn't say that it wasn't entertaining and fun, in its own ridiculous, insane sort of way. But with comedic talent like Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer, some of the best in the business, you expect better. I think a lot of the problem was that Jerry Seinfeld both wrote, directed, produced and starred in this film. With that much involvement from one person, there aren't a lot of checks and balances to make sure the project doesn't veer off into La La Land. It wasn't a bad movie, per se. But it was basically throwaway fluff. If you go into it with that attitude, you'll probably like it well enough.
Oklahoma! (1999)
Better than 1955 movie
My mom was a huge fan of Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, so I grew up watching them. Oklahoma wasn't exactly our favorite R&H show, but it definitely has its charm. I always thought that this was more like a New Yorker's stereotypical perception of what country folk from early 1900's Oklahoma were like, rather than a realistic portrayal of them, including the outrageously exaggerated accents. But if you just overlook that and let the story suck you in, it's pretty enjoyable. Musically, Messrs. Rogers and Hammerstein never disappoint. The dance numbers were also quite entertaining, and an improvement on the original. The romance between the overconfident Curly and the standoffish Laurey is perfect and keeps you engaged through the whole movie. The supporting characters, especially Aunt Eller, Ado Annie, Will and Ali the peddler provide welcome humor to the story.
It's kind of amazing that a 55-year-old (at the time) Broadway show would prove to be such a hit on the London stage. But I'd say that Hugh Jackman and the crew definitely hit a home run here. The cast were mostly British (plus Aussie Jackman), yet they played their Oklahoman characters so convincingly, overexaggerated accents and all. There's something magical about a stage production that you can't really capture in a film and they definitely caught that when they filmed this production, originally for PBS. Remakes ae hardly ever better than the original, but I can say without reservation that this production exceeded the movie in almost every respect. I enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and appreciated the chance to see a young Hugh Jackman and the rest of this wonderful cast breathe new life into this timeless musical.
Love in the Air (2024)
Hallmark romance misses the mark
This was a pretty standard Hallmark romance. About what you'd expect from a Hallmark romance and not much more. Somehow, it just missed the mark for me. The two stars were decent. Definitely eye candy. Jocelyn Hudson was actually quite good, Cute, but very down-to-earth and relatable. I wasn't feeling a lot of chemistry between the two of them, though. When the chemistry is lacking, I think that's usually code for bad screenwriting.
Not that the writing in this movie was awful. It was just okay. Clearly, they were going for enemies-to-lovers, but somehow, it didn't quite work. He was way too much of a jerk at the beginning. Sure, he mellowed out and was much nicer later, but your initial dislike of him was hard to shake. And she was way too meek, submissive and unconfident around him and in general. If you're going for enemies-to-lovers, she has to be a lot more spunky and able to give it right back to him. And, above all, you need witty banter between the two of them. Their interactions, especially after they started to like each other, seemed really awkward. Awkward does not make for a satisfying rom-com. It just reminds you of bad experiences that you might have had in your own past dating life, and it makes you cringe.
The rest of the story, with the arts festival and the training to do the silks performance, was only mildly engaging. I never really felt the sense of urgency. You had little doubt that the two silks performers would pull it out in the end and deliver a stellar performance. You knew the festival would be a raging success. And nothing really bad would have happened if it hadn't been, other than a few bruised egos and the sister of the male lead losing her gig as festival planner. To be fair, the silks performance was good, and it seemed that all or most of it was done by the stars themselves. The impromptu dancing from Jocelyn Hudson was also good.
All in all, a nice movie, a passable romance, but hardly an engaging or memorable movie. Basically just another throw-away Hallmark romance.
The Presence of Love (2022)
Nice romance, better than most
This Hallmark romance is nothing earth-shattering, but I'd say it's a cut above the typical Hallmark movie. One definite plus is that it takes place in Cornwall, England. That's a gorgeous part of the world, and a refreshing change from Hallmark's typical filming locations in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Another plus is Eloise Mumford, as our vacationing American heroine Joss. The Hallmark staple actress comes through again. Far from being just another pretty face, she is wonderful at expressing deep emotions, being vulnerable and coming across as just plain likable. I love the relationship between her and the cute little girl Tegan. There's a lot going on in this movie besides romance. You have Joss dealing with the loss of her mother, crippling anxiety attacks, and having to come through with a winning paper to secure tenure as a professor. You have farmer Daniel and his mom's farm facing financial ruin and her being too stubborn to accept the modern windmills that could save them. You have little Tegan's dyslexia and her anxiety about having to recite a poem for the literary festival. There's a lot of plot to keep you entertained.
The romance, sadly, was just so-so. Julian Morris, who plays Daniel, was okay, but not outstanding. It seems to be a trend with Hallmark movies that they get female stars who really shine, but pair them with male stars who are just average. I thought the relationship between the two of them was kind of underdeveloped and there wasn't a huge amount of chemistry between them. Maybe that's because there was so much else going on in the story that the romance was shoved to the back burner. But I found it hard to believe that there was enough of a relationship between the two of them to justify her deciding to stay in Cornwall at the end instead of returning to Boston. Hallmark has made romance its bread and butter, and they can do it right sometimes, but more often than not, it seems the romance falls flat, as in this movie. I wish they would either hire screenwriters who can really do romance right, or just skip trying to shove half-baked romances into every one of their movies.
So, other than the so-so romance, I really liked this movie. It just left you with a good feeling all the way around, which is all you expect from a Hallmark movie. I definitely hope that Hallmark does more filming in beautiful, overseas locations. It makes a world of difference (no pun intended).
Hitch (2005)
Fun, different rom-com
This rom-com has become something of a classic, and is one of my wife's favorites. I recently re-watched it with my teen daughter, and it was definitely enjoyable. Will Smith as Hitch, the self-appointed "Love Doctor", was the one who carried the film. His undeniable charm and sense of comedic timing were indispensable. Kevin James as his hapless client Albert was almost as good, though, with his silly goofiness. Eva Mendes as Hitch's love interest Sara -- well, she's beautiful. That's about it. Otherwise, I didn't find her performance that compelling.
In a way, this was more of a rom-com for guys, as it presents the fantasy that even average guys can get extraordinary women who are out of their league, as long as they are sufficiently coached in the right techniques. Maybe there's some validity to this, but honestly, a short, fat dweeb like Albert snagging a super-hot, wealthy and famous heiress like Allegra? Only in the movies. I did like the fact that, with all of Hitch's coaching, it was ultimately Albert just being his imperfect-but-loveable self that eventually won Allegra over. In the end, even if a guy gets his foot in the door with a girl by employing useful techniques, she's ultimately going to fall in love with him (or not) based on who he really is.
I also liked that Hitch, even though he put up a front of smooth bravado, was basically still the insecure guy he was in college underneath, at least when it came to a girl that he really cared about. The movies are full of guys who can effortlessly get girls to fall all over them, but those guys are ultimately kind of boring. A character like Hitch is much more interesting. A guy who likes to pretend that he has it all under control when it comes to women, but who is really just as scared and unsure as most of his desperate clients. That being said, I wasn't a fan of the awkward ending, where he hems and haws at Sara's doorstep, then makes a fool of himself running after her in the street. It was pretty cringe.
All in all, this was an entertaining rom-com with characters that we liked and could relate to. It had enough originality to keep you guessing what would happen until nearly the very end. Definitely worth watching again after nearly 20 years.
Make Me a Match (2023)
Pretty good rom-com with Indian twist
This was a fairly decent rom-com and, basically Hallmark's love letter to the Indian-American community. Was it predictable? Of course. We've seen a few of these stories where a matchmaker attempts to set a person up with multiple people, only to have the person wind up with the matchmaker themselves (or the matchmaker's son, in this case). But it was still fairly fun to watch. The multiple peeks into the fascinating Indian culture were icing on the cake for this story.
Eva Bourne gave a good performance as our dating app employee and matchmaking guinea pig Vivi. She was cute, fun and very relatable. Rushi Kota's performance as Boom, the matchmaker's son, was also good. He's a good looking guy, but he also came across as down-to-earth and likable. Did they have chemistry? Yeah, somewhat. It could've been better, but honestly, Hallmark is rarely able to get chemistry just right in its rom-coms. I don't know if it's the actors or the script, but let's just give them an A (or a B+) for effort here. I also really liked some of the supporting actors, particularly Rehha Sharma as the matchmaker mom. She was great.
The screenplay was decent, but it had a few rough spots. Sometimes the dialog was good, but sometimes it was a little unnatural. I didn't buy Vivi's attitude toward the end, where she was ready to give up on love because it didn't work out with Tristan, the only man left standing of the 3 guys she had been matched with. There just wasn't enough development of any kind of a relationship between Vivi and Tristan to make me even believe that she liked him, let alone that she would be devastated about things not working out with him. I also didn't like that they had Vivi's parents get divorced at the end. Here they were, getting along better. Marriage therapy was working. And then they decide to get a divorce? Why? It seemed so unnecessary to the plot.
One other elephant in the room that this movie totally glossed over was the fact that Indian matchmakers are specifically trying to match Indians with other Indians, so they can preserve their culture and religion. It's beyond unbelievable that Boom's mom would be cool with him marrying Vivi, a non-Indian. For a movie that seemed to be pretty clued into the Indian culture, this was one plot point that seemed really inauthentic. Or did she convert to Hinduism? If so, maybe they should have mentioned that. Or they could have had her be Indian as well -- perhaps really Americanized and detached from the traditions of her culture, but still Indian.
Otherwise, this movie was a pleasant enough diversion and a fun immersion in the Indian culture. It could've been better, but it's still worthy of a watch.
3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost (2023)
Fun ghost movie
I love movies with a fantasy element, so this movie was right up my alley. This movie was fun and original, at least for Hallmark. Sure, the whole ghost interacting with humans thing has been done many times before, but this was a particularly enjoyable take on that theme. I loved Madeleine Arthur's performance as Ruby, the beautiful, wealthy, flapper-era ghost. She was totally believable in that role. She was a little obnoxious, but ultimately fun and relatable. This was promoted as a love story, but the main relationship in the movie was the friendship that developed between Ruby and modern-day realtor Anna. That relationship was done very well. It was fun to see Ruby playing Cupid for our reluctant, gun-shy heroine Anna.
Julie Gonzalo and Chris McNally gave decent performances as Anna and her ex-fiancee/love interest Elliot. I must say, though, the chemistry was somewhat lacking, which is odd, seeing that they are a married couple in real life. I think they just seemed kind of awkward around each other most of the time. I blame the screenwriters for that. I think it would have worked much better if the vibe had been enemies-to-lovers. After all, she had broken off their engagement and probably his heart. Back-and-forth sparring and witty banter between them would have been much more enjoyable than the cringy, awkward, almost connections that they kept having.
I liked her character arc, from hesitant, scared little girl who didn't know what she wanted in life to confident woman who was willing to stand up to her dad for what was right and go for the guy she still loved. I liked the satisfying, happy ending, where Anna and Elliot reconnected and Ruby and her love Charlie got to reunite and move on. I do wish they had come up with some reasons why she couldn't leave he house for a hundred years, and why Anna reconnecting with Elliot was somehow the catalyst for her being able to move on with Charlie. They imply that she was scared that, if she moved on, Charlie wouldn't want to be with her. But it all seemed a bit muddled and unclear. Another plot point that seemed kind of nonsensical was the fact that they were looking to sell that beautiful, historic old house as a tear-down. That would never happen in real life, but stuff like that seems to happen in the world of Hallmark on a regular basis.
On the whole, this was a thoroughly entertaining movie with characters that you liked and became invested in. A refreshing change from the same-old-same-old Hallmark movie. I hope they continue the trend.
An American in Austen (2024)
Fun, original movie
This was a Hallmark movie that was fun and much more original than your typical Hallmark cookie-cutter offerings. It seems like their movies are improving lately. True, this film was somewhat similar to the Lost in Austen miniseries from a few years back, but it still felt pretty fresh and original. I love fantasy shows like this. In this case, our heroine Harriet was extremely relatable, and we could imagine what it would be like to be suddenly transported into your favorite Regency-era novel. Her reactions as a 21'st century woman to those antiquated attitudes and environs were priceless. I also liked how her presence upended the entire flow of the story, requiring her to try to right things. This was a romance, but not the one you might have expected, where she winds up with Mr. Darcy in the end. She comes to realize that Ethan, her non-dashing, but perfectly fine, nice boyfriend back in 2024, was the one she really loved and wanted to be with. That's a great message. How many women out there (and some men too) give up on a perfectly good relationship because they are foolishly holding out for some idealized fantasy lover who doesn't exist?
They certainly didn't skimp on the production values for this movie. The period costumes, the sets, the period-appropriate dancing, etc. Were spot-on. The scenes with the Bennet family could have been taken from an actual film version of Pride and Prejudice, they were that well done. Eliza Bennett (what a coup on getting an actress with that name) gave a splendid performance as our displaced American Austen-lover Harriet. She was cute, funny and very likable. The supporting actors were all great too. All contributed to the realistic feel of the movie. The dialog was very realistic and never overdone.
In summary, I quite enjoyed this little foray into the world of Jane Austen. It's definitely worth a watch or two and I applaud Hallmark for providing such a great movie.
Mr. Right (2023)
Cute rom-com, something missing
This was a very cute romance movie. There are a lot of things I liked about it. On the other hand, it felt like something was missing, somehow. In all fairness, this is a low-budget, independent production, so you can't hold it to the same standards as a bigger-budget, Hollywood film. I gave it a solid 7, but that's grading on the curve. There's no way that the iMDb rating of 7.6 is accurate. That's a pretty high rating and just reflects the fact that this was a little-seen movie, and that most of the reviewers were likely connected to the project somehow.
First the good. I liked the premise of the movie a lot, i.e. A girl writes a column about her mostly disastrous dating life, while developing a friendship with a good guy who she refuses to see as a romantic possibility. A lot of rom-coms fail to develop the romantic relationship very well. That certainly wasn't the case here. Our leads Charlotte and Liam spent plenty of quality time together, and their interactions seemed mostly fun, natural and real. I liked that the loser dates that she wrote about in her columns were not the over-the-top, date-from-hell experiences that you might have expected. I also liked the relationship between Charlotte and her friend Lila. Friends in rom-coms usually exist solely to facilitate the main character's journey to romance, but I felt like the friendship between these two was fleshed out a little more. The two leads were definitely appealing physically. They looked good, both separately and as a couple.
Now the not-so-good. The dialog was pretty good, but there were a few rough patches, such as the scene where Charlotte and Liam are discussing what constitutes Mr. Right, and it basically comes down to the superficial stereotype of tall, dark and handsome. Well, only one of the guys that Charlotte deigned to go out with actually fit that physical profile. I felt like the reasons that Charlotte so quickly decided to put Liam in the friend zone were never explained very well. Was it because she assumed he was beneath her because he was a lowly barista? Of course, we all knew he was the owner of the coffee shop, not just a lowly employee, but it felt kind of stupid that he would never have actually told her that. Also, the fact that he offered to take her on a tour of the city should have been interpreted as a date by anybody, even clueless Charlotte. It would have worked much better if he had just kept casually running into her at the park, the pizza place, etc. Instead of him actually asking her to participate in such events. The line between casual friendship and dating needed to be much more fuzzy.
The other thing I had a hard time with was the performances. Clearly, these folks are B-list actors, which was surely all they could afford to hire. But Sierra Reid's performance as Charlotte seemed particularly lacking, somehow. She is cute and perky, and she does this very well, but her range of emotions doesn't seem to extend beyond that. There was a scene where she was looking at old pictures of her family in happier times, before her parents' divorce, and you see tears rolling down her cheeks. There was literally no emotion on her face to go with those tears. And in the scene where she blows him off after he attempts to actually ask her on a date, she shows none of the sadness or conflicted emotions that that scene requires. Her acting is extremely one-note.
This movie was definitely amusing and I enjoyed the slow-burn feel of the developing relationship between Charlotte and Liam. But somehow, it failed to totally connect for me. It's like the "Almost Mr. Right" that the movie talked about. Maybe with slightly more budget, slightly better actors and a slightly better screenplay, it would have hit its mark.
Elvis (2022)
Amazing Biopic
Biopics about famous singers seem to be the trend right now, highighting such icons as Elton John and Freddy Mercury. The movie "Elvis" leads this pack of fine, substantive movies. It's simply an amazing film that effortlessly transports you into the life and times of Elvis Presley, letting you experience the astronomical highs and abysmal lows of the greatest pop star of all time. The period details, from the clothes to the sets to the cars, were spot on. You really felt like you were experiencing the Southern US in the 1950's, as well as other locations, such as Las Vegas in the 1970's, which is quite a feat, given that this film was shot in Australia. It was a good-looking film, with excellent cinematography. The mood of the film was spot-on also, enhanced especially by the music of the black singers.
Of course, the best aspect of this film was the stellar performances of the cast. Austin Butler was spot-on in his portrayal of The King. His performance was passion-filled, and his voice and mannerisms were perfect. Plus, he can actually sing! Looking at his previous work on IMDb, it appears that most of his career was spent acting in a series of forgettable teen sitcoms. Glad they brought him out of obscurity, so we could see what he was capable of. No less great was the performance of the immortal Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' odious manager. It takes a lot to give a convincing performance as a villain without making him a caricature, and Hanks absolutely nailed it. The other supporting actors were great, too. All were realistic and believable, especially Elvis' mother and his wife Priscilla.
If I had to complain about anything, it would be that the movie was a tad too long. Also, I think his relationship with Priscilla was really given short shrift. I wish they'd spent more screen time on that. By the way, the film depicts Elvis cheating on Priscilla, but she actually cheated on him too. That detail never made it into the film, probably because she and the rest of Elvis' family were heavily involved in this production. The tone of the movie was pretty dark. Sure, Elvis had a messed up life, as we all know, but I wish they had included more of the lighter moments of his life as well. Director Baz Luhrmann apparently took some liberties with the facts when making this movie, but on the whole, it seems to be a pretty accurate, if somewhat negative, take on Presley's life.
Other than his last few hits, I never experienced the mania of Elvis Presley in my personal life, but I got a good taste of it from this movie. Even if you aren't a Presley fan -- even if you'd never even heard of him before -- you can't help but be moved by this film. I'd definitely put it in the "must see" category.
Happiness for Beginners (2023)
Uneven rom-com
I sort of liked this rom-com, and I wanted to like it, but it was pretty uneven all the way around. Ellie Kemper gave a decent performance as our heroine Helen. She was uptight and overly-regimented in the beginning, which she needed to be to achieve her character arc as she loosened up and "found" herself on the trail. I liked her performance toward the end of the film much better. Luke Grimes as her love interest Jake was okay, but he seemed kind of wooden at times. The supporting characters were supposed to be mostly quirky and overexaggerated, and they accomplished this fairly effortlessly, but it wasn't a big lift.
My overwhelming impression was that the screenplay for this film was either half-baked, rushed into production before it was ready, or written by someone with questionable writing skills. Maybe a little of all the above. The screenwriter was also the director and that often doesn't work out well. I haven't read the book on which this movie was based, but I'm guessing the screenwriter had to chop out a lot from the book to make the story fit into a movie, and she didn't do it very well. The relationship between Helen and Jake was severely underdeveloped. This was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers plot, but there was no visible reason why they ever should have been enemies. You just had her acting mean and nasty to him, with no provocation, and it made her seem like an unlikable witch. Also, when you do enemies-to-lovers, you need amusing, flirty banter between the two leads, and this film had little to none of that. When they finally did connect a bit over significant issues in their lives, particularly her experience losing her little brother at 5 years old and his impending blindness, those issues didn't have enough foreshadowing and they seemed to come out of nowhere. All this smacks of stuff that was probably well-developed in the book, but which was ripped out of the screenplay by an inept screenwriter. There was never much chemistry between Helen and Jake, and I never really saw them together as a couple. Again, it's not the fault of the actors as much as the screenwriter, who never gave them sufficient opportunities for "chemistry" to happen.
This was also a story about Helen moving on from her divorce and using the hiking trip to evolve into a more confident, happier woman. On that level, it succeeded much better. If that had been the sole focus of the movie, without the romance at all, it might have been a better movie. I just felt like the whole romance aspect was handled clumsily and not too effectively. It felt like the screenwriter/director knew that the romance had to be there, but her heart wasn't in that part of it, so she just gave a half-hearted effort at getting the romantic relationship right.
I do give the film an A for cinematography. How can you go wrong with blazing fall foliage in rural New England, in all its glorious splendor? I was reasonably amused by this film, but hardly captivated or enthralled. The potential was there for a much better film, but sadly, the screenwriter/director just didn't get it done somehow.
Irish Wish (2024)
Cute fantasy romance
This movie was a sweet, fun romance, with a bit of fantasy thrown in. It was basically your typical Hallmark-esque rom-com with slightly better production values and a bigger star, in the person of Lindsey Lohan. She's great throughout, providing a cute, relatable heroine with a good sense of comedic timing. The premise of the story is intriguing. What would you do if you could wish for a different life, together with the person you think you want but thought you could never have? I also enjoyed the beautiful Irish scenery. The movie definitely provided you with a lot of eye candy.
This movie certainly borrows a lot from other rom-coms. 27 Dresses and Leap Year immediately come to mind. This movie is mostly fun and enjoyable, but, to be honest, those other movies did it better. I'd describe this film as underdeveloped. Somehow, I never felt the intense emotions that Lohan's character Maddie supposedly felt for the Irish writer Paul. When she's transformed to the reality where she's engaged to Paul, she seems mostly awkward around him. She needed a character arc, where she was initially enjoying being with Paul (she didn't even kiss him!) and then slowly realizes that she's not really happy with him. The romance between her and English photographer James was also not developed that well. Oh, there were moments, but on the whole, that relationship felt forced and half-baked. Also, they tried to do the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it wasn't very convincing. So, they get off on the wrong foot because she fights with him over his suitcase that she claims is hers? Really? Also, if you're going to use that trope, there needs to be a lot more back-and-forth sparring and witty banter between the two of them. The characters in Leap Year did this much better.
Had I been the screenwriter, here's how I would've had things play out. Maddie is initially ecstatic about being in the alternate reality, where she's engaged to Paul. She takes full advantage of the situation. James, on the other hand, is an annoying guy who gets on her nerves, but she has to deal with him because he's the photographer. They regularly trade barbs with each other. James photographs both Maddie and Paul at the Cliffs of Moher, but Paul is kind of dismissive of Maddie and calls an Uber to take him back to the house for something he considers more important, leaving Maddie to finish out the shoot alone and forcing her to ride back with James, much to her annoyance. The attempted ride back is an unmitigated disaster, with James' car sliding off the road in the rain and crashing, with both of them getting muddy and wet. The roads are impassible in the storm until morning, leaving a furious Maddie to spend the night with James at the pub, where they have to share the same room because it's the only one left. They slowly warm up to each other at the pub, dancing and playing darts and eventually sharing personal details about their lives. She faces some serious introspection, where she wonders why she is even together with an egocentric leech of a guy like Paul, who is passing off her great writing as his own. She also realizes that James isn't as bad as she originally thought. Perhaps he has had some heartbreaks in his past, which led him to his nomadic, attachment-free life as a photographer. They return for the wedding, and Paul and Maddie's friend Emma have connected while she was gone. Then you have the rest of the movie play out as it did, with her confession that she doesn't love Paul, the fight between Paul and James at the wedding, etc. See, much better plot. The paid screenwriters who wrote the script for this movie could've and should've come up with a plot more like that. Maybe they were under a deadline, so they didn't have the time to do it better?
This isn't a perfect movie, but for what it was, a light, airy, fantasy romance, it was reasonably entertaining and a decent way to pass a couple of hours. Just enjoy it for what it is, and don't think too much about it.
Beastly (2011)
Okay reimagining of Beauty and the Beast
This reimagined version of Beauty and the Beast, with teen characters and set in modern New York City, was actually not that bad. Oh, it certainly didn't compete with other B&TB incarnations, particularly the Disney animated and live action versions, which it would inevitably be compared to. It had some pretty unnatural, cringe-worthy dialog throughout. The stars gave reasonably good performances, but nothing earth-shattering. I really didn't like how over-the-top jerky Kyle was at the beginning, either. Yeah, he needed to be a jerk to provide room for a character arc to a better human being. But it was totally unbelievable how he was supposedly this popular guy who crowds would cheer for, when he was that nasty. The other stupid thing was his transformation to a supposedly ugly guy. He doesn't look that much different from a lot of the tatted-up guys you might see at your local gym, or in your favorite music video, and that was true even in 2011. I'm guessing the budget for this movie didn't allow for truly ugly prosthetic makeup or CGI, so they used a bald cap and excessive tattoos instead. It just wasn't that horrifying a transformation.
On the plus side, this movie showed the tragic side of Kyle's life, with his mother abandoning their family and his dad being an emotionally absent, egotistical jerk of a rich-guy parent. You could kind of understand and sympathize with Kyle and see why he was such a jerk. The supporting characters, especially the Jamaican housekeeper and the blind tutor, were also good and provided some welcome lightness to this otherwise dark story. Kyle started out as a creepy stalker, following Lindy around and hiding in the shadows, and once she came to live with him, the situation was weird too. But when they finally started having some meaningful interactions, the relationship between them was actually pretty good. I just wish there had been more development of that relationship.
The ending was a big miss for me. I watched a clip of an alternative ending, where Kyle gets shot by drug dealers, and, as he is dying in Lindy's arms, she confesses her love for him. This is much more like the ending of the original B&TB, and is also more similar to the ending in the book, apparently. Why they didn't use this ending after having filmed it, I have no idea. Stupidity, perhaps?
So, what can I say about this movie? It wasn't a great movie, but it was better than it seemed like it would be when it started, and it got better as it went on. By the end, it was actually kind of engaging. How's that for a ringing endorsement?
The Family Man (2000)
Great fantasy romance
The Family Man has always been one of my favorite movies, and I recently watched it again. After more than 2 decades, the magic is still there. This movie is based on the intriguing and irresistible premise that a man, Jack Campbell in this case, is allowed to see what his life would be like if he had chosen love over his high-powered career. It's a story that has been done countless times, before and since, but this movie does it better than almost any other. After all, haven't all of us wondered how our lives might have turned out, had we made a few different choices?
I can't imagine a cynical Hollywood that scoffs at middle America and its traditional values would make a movie like this today. Yet, this story resonates with so many of us in the "real world", who do live happy lives, married and with families, living out ordinary existences in modest homes with white picket fences. The message that wealth and power can't buy happiness and are empty without meaningful family relationships might seem cliché, but it's only cliché because it's so true.
Nicholas Cage is an unlikely actor to star as a lead in a romance like this, but he absolutely nails it. His character arc, from hedonistic, self-centered rich guy to caring family man, is flawless. He's not exactly a likable character at the start, but Cage makes him sympathetic and relatable as he goes from freaking out about his new existence to grudgingly, then wholeheartedly accepting it. Tea Leoni is great also as his wife Kate, successfully portraying a no-nonsense wife and mother, while still remaining beautiful and sexy. There is great chemistry between the two of them.
About the only thing I didn't like about this movie was the ending. Everything was kind of left up in the air and unresolved. So, they get together for coffee as the closing credits roll, but we never find out if they actually together, and if they do, what form their future lives will take. Since this is a fantasy anyway, why not extend the fantasy all the way and allow Jack to stay in his alternate reality with his wife and family, rather than have only a vague hint at a possible future life that could only be a shadow of what he had experienced? Sure, some might call that a sappy ending, but to the hardened, cynical crowd, this whole movie would seem sappy anyway.
Anyway, if you've never seen this classic movie or haven't seen it in a while, check it out. It's bound to warm your heart and leave you with a smile on your face.
A Perfect Day (2006)
Okay Christmas story and morality tale
This was an okay movie. I thought Rob Lowe gave a good performance as Robert Harlan, the family man, trying to do the right thing, but caught up temporarily in the success of his book and letting it go to his head. He wasn't always a likable character, but we could relate to him and imagine how it would be if we were given overnight fame and wealth, and how we'd deal with it. The supporting cast was good too, particularly Paget Brewster as Rob's wife Allyson, I liked the message of the story, which was that your relationships with others, particularly with your family, are the most important thing, and that worldly success can't be allowed to supersede them.
This movie was pretty faithful to the Richard Paul Evans book, but I must say that this was not my favorite Evans book. The main message is sound and important, but it is handled too clumsily. I really didn't like how Allyson makes Rob feel guilty for all the time he has to spend away from the family to promote his book. It's part of his job. It's like a military wife making her husband feel guilty because he has to go on deployment for 6 months. And them going from a loving couple and family to the edge of divorce in just a few months? A little extreme, I'd say. Sure, they needed to have a conversation about how his new career as a writer would affect their family, and to what extent he wanted to be involved in it. But his wife should've been supportive, not angry and vindictive.
The weird twist ending was pretty bad too. So, the guy Robert was seeing wasn't really an angel and Robert wasn't really going to die. It was all just an elaborate setup by his former agent to get him to take his family responsibilities seriously again. Really? It was just too pat and forced a resolution. I think the story would have been just fine without that bizarre plot point. He could have come to the realization that he had been a jerk to his family and that he missed them, without thinking an angel was telling him he was going to die.
I liked this movie and wanted to like it. I just wish the story hadn't been so clunky in spots. Again, this is not my favorite Evans work. He is one of my favorite authors and is capable of much better. I'm guessing this was a case of him having to get something out before a deadline. Even so, I appreciated the message in this movie.
Yesterday (2019)
Fun fantasy film
This is one of the more enjoyable movies to come out in the last few years. I always like movies with a fantasy element, in this case, the idea that our hero Jack is suddenly thrust into an alternate reality where the Beatles (and a few other things) never existed, and he is the only one who remembers them. It's a brilliantly original idea that makes for a fun, compelling movie. It's also quite funny, with its offbeat, distinctly British humor, accentuated by some wacky supporting characters, such as Jack's slacker friend Rocky, the condescending American manager Debra and Ed Sheeran in his extended cameo.
Himesh Patel gave a great performance as our deer-in-the-headlights protagonist, who is suddenly granted the awesome power of being able to use the songs of the greatest band ever to launch his own pathetic music career to superstardom. Even though he is basically stealing music from others to further his career, and is mostly a jerk to Ellie, the girl who has loved him for years, he still comes off as likable and relatable. Plus, he's funny, though in a more understated, British sort of way. Lily James as Ellie is great as always. She's a beautiful woman, but is able to play the girl next door quite convincingly here. I did think that she should have confronted Mr. Clueless years before and forced him to make a decision about her. Honestly, she's way out of his league. I liked the romance, though, and thought it played out well.
Was the plotline unrealistic? Of course. It was a fantasy, after all. But they totally gloss over a lot of important things. For example, if you remove the Beatles, the past 60 years of history would be significantly altered. The Beatles not only drove music trends and inspired countless other artists, they largely drove the whole counterculture movement of the 1960's and beyond. You couldn't just wake up in a world with the Beatles carefully excised and have everything else be virtually the same. Another plot hole that I wish they'd addressed (and which seemed so obvious) was the fact that Ellie had fallen in love with Jack in elementary school when she saw him playing a cover of Oasis's "Wonderwall". But in the new reality, the band Oasis didn't exist either. So did she see him play some other song in this alternate reality? Or did she fall in love with him because of some other totally unrelated incident? They never say. This would have been an interesting plot point to explore.
The other thing I didn't like was how quickly and easily Jack started passing off the Beatles' tunes as his own. Yes, they show him somewhat guilty and conflicted about it in later scenes. But I never bought that he could do it so easily in the first place. I wish he had just stumbled into doing it and felt forced to continue lying, rather than seemingly planning to do so from the very start. It seemed out of character for him.
I did like the message of the movie, which was that a life of fame and wealth is not a path to a truly fulfilling life. This was especially accentuated by Jack's meeting with an aged, never-famous John Lennon in the alternate reality. John had never achieved superstardom in this timeline, but he had lived a rewarding, fulfilling life with his wife and family. Some may argue that this life was insignificant compared to his stature as a one of the greatest musicians of all time, but in that alternate life, he was spared the life of divorce, drugs, insanity and early death that was the lot of the John Lennon we know. I guess the point could be made that the world should not have been deprived of the greatness of a John Lennon, but the man John Lennon would have been much happier, had he never been famous and wealthy. This is what our hero Jack eventually realized, as he, apparently, went on to live a happy life with Ellie and their kids, teaching schoolkids instead of playing to sold-out arenas. If one of my kids were as talented as John Lennon, I would still urge them not to go after the "poison chalice" of wealth and fame (as Debra in the movie so aptly put it), because I'm convinced that such a life wouldn't make them truly happy.
All in all, this was an entertaining movie with a compelling story, good performances and a great message. As enjoyable a 2 hours as I can recall spending in recent years.
27 Dresses (2008)
Katherine Heigl saves this movie
This is one of my wife's favorite rom-coms. I certainly wouldn't go that far, and not just because I'm a guy. I love a good rom-com, but this was only an average one. What saves it is Katherine Heigl's performance. She's beautiful, of course, but she's able to convince you that she's the ugly duckling to her beautiful swan sister. This movie is all about the character arc of her character Jane and the way she goes from being a doormat to her sister, boss and every one of those 27 brides that she was a bridesmaid to, to a more confident, self-assured woman who knows what she wants. Heigl portrays that transformation beautifully. I also liked the complex relationship between Jane and her sister Tess. You thought Tess would remain the selfish, narcissistic younger sibling, destined to take advantage of Jane and her sense of duty, while unfairly outshining her in every aspect of her life. But Tess turned out to be the insecure one with the screwed up life, and she actually envied Jane. An interesting plot development, to be sure.
The relationship between Jane and Kevin could have been good. He was certainly more interesting than George, her disgustingly perfect boss, who she was secretly in love with. I really didn't like how they took the lowbrow approach and had them get drunk and have sex, though. It was also really stupid that he was writing a news story about George and Tess's wedding that basically trashed both Jane and Tess. Was this the National Enquirer that he was writing for? I thought it was a respectable newspaper. And then, Jane publicly throwing herself at Kevin at the end of the movie, with all the nastiness of that article apparently forgotten? I didn't believe that for a second. They had to have the happy ending, of course, but it felt very forced and ingenuine.
The scene where Jane publicly humiliates Tess at her engagement party was pretty cringe too. Sure, Tess deserved to be taken down a peg or two, but that was so over-the-top nasty and so out of character for Jane. She should've done a one-on-one confrontation with George about what a liar Tess was. That's basically what she threatened to do in the prior scene, so why didn't she just do it?
So, entertaining as this movie was in spots, it just had too many rough edges for me to take it very seriously. I'd give it a thumbs up, but only a weak one.
Rescuing Christmas (2023)
Good, original Hallmark Christmas movie
This was a Hallmark movie that didn't feel like a Hallmark movie. It was much more original. It also had the inestimable talents of Rachel Leigh Cook. The difference between her and the standard plug-and-play Hallmark actress was evident for anyone to see. She's always funny, likable and relatable and lights up any scene she's in. Her relationship with Sam, the guy she's supposedly not dating, was good too. There was a fair amount of chemistry between them. I also enjoyed the North Pole characters, especially the two wacky elves. They definitely provided lots of comic relief.
The whole concept of what you would do if Christmas suddenly disappeared was unique and creative. Some of the bizarre things that people came up with for Christmas decorations was amusing. I did think there needed to be more of a character arc for our heroine Erin. She needed to be a true Christmas Grinch, who only grudgingly came around to accept and finally embrace Christmas. Instead, she was more stressed out about Christmas, but she didn't really hate it, and she was immediately horrified when she realized her wish had erased it. So, supposedly, she could only take back the wish if she really felt it, but it seemed like she really did feel it for most of the movie. It didn't really make sense.
All in all, a fun, entertaining Christmas movie. Kudos to Hallmark for coming up with a more original Christmas story and getting a good A-list actress like Rachel Leigh Cook to act in it. I can only applaud the trend.
Emma. (2020)
Decent Emma adaptation, not the best
This adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma was decent, but not the best that's ever been done. Gwyneth Paltrow's 1996 version still seems to be the gold standard for Emma productions. Anya Taylor-Joy does an adequate job as Emma, but let's face it, she's no Gwyneth Paltrow. She does have a very unique look, though.
The costumes and the sets and landscapes were stunning. The cast was also attractive. There was plenty of eye candy on display. The performances were reasonably good. I did feel like this Emma was kind of unlikable, though. Rather than being a relatable, if somewhat clueless heroine (shades of Alicia Silverstone in the 90's teen comedy), she was more like a Regency era version of a high school mean girl. She was catty, gossipy and scheming. I also didn't feel like there was that much chemistry between Emma and her eventual love interest, Mr. Knightly. Oh, there was some good banter between them, but I never really found them credible as a couple.
The outer trappings of a Jane Austen story were all there, but somehow the heart and soul were kind of missing. This was an adequate version of the beloved Austen story for the 21'st century, but honestly, I don't think it brought anything new to the table that it's predecessors from previous decades hadn't. A reasonable movie to spend a couple of hours with, but not one that will really move you or stay with you for very long.
See Jane Date (2003)
Well-done rom com with a message
I was surprised at how much I liked this movie, given the relatively low IMDB rating. Were those other folks watching the same movie I was? I'm not even sure you could call this a rom-com. Yeah, the whole premise is about our heroine Jane dating a slew of guys, and yeah, she does eventually click with one of them. But it's much more about her relationships with her girlfriends and her character arc, from a somewhat mousy doormat, who defines her self worth by whether or not she has a boyfriend, to a confident, self-assured woman who is happy with her life and successful in her career. It was fresh and original, and you weren't sure how it would end up until the very end.
The writing in this movie was sharp and witty. None of the cringy fake dialog that you might see in a typical Hallmark romance. I do wish the comedy was a little better. The humor was supposed to come from the series of disastrous dates and abortive attempts at romance that Jane endured. They were more achingly realistic than funny, though, and anyone who has dealt long-term with the singles dating scene will likely be wincing in sympathy with Jane as opposed to laughing at her dating nightmares.
The performances were great. Charisma Carpenter as Jane gave us a heroine who was simultaneously beautiful, but who was also convincingly lacking in confidence and who you immediately identified with and related to. The supporting actors were great too, from her two besties (who she had more chemistry with than any of the guys in this movie) to her obnoxious cousin and aunt, to her dismissive boss, to her former classmate and minor celebrity Natasha. Not all these characters were sympathetic or likable, but they were all well-acted.
The movie had some great messages and I liked how the characters and relationships were nuanced and not one-dimensional. Particularly, the relationship with Jane and Natasha was great. You thought Natasha was going to be a grown-up version of a high-school mean girl, a character you would hate throughout the movie. But she turned out to be full of insecurities herself, and she ended up actually being friends with Jane, and ended up being the one who was even jealous of Jane and not the other way around. Jane had a great character arc in this movie. I especially loved the scene where she told off her annoying cousin and aunt and expressed how she was fine, even if she didn't have a boyfriend.
I also liked how they kept you second guessing about who Jane would end up with. At first, you thought it would be Gary, the guy from the park cleanup activity, then you thought she would get back together with Max, her old boyfriend, then you thought she would finally click with Doctor Timothy, who she really seemed to have some chemistry with. All turned out to be duds, and in the end, you thought she would just end up happy, single and not needing a man in her life to validate her. Then she finally connects with the guy from the store where her cousin's bridal registry was, and he also turned out to be the guy her aunt wanted to set her up with, and he was actually a fun, decent, normal guy. The movie would've been fine, had she not gotten a guy at all, but if she had to, this was the right way to do it. It made sense that, after she stopped being so desperate to find a man and gained more self confidence, she would finally get into a good relationship.
This movie is over 20 years old, but it still seems pretty fresh and contemporary. It was interesting, however, to see a few of the pre-smart-phone aspects that let you know this film was a product of the early 2000's, such as Jane's aunt's surprise that she had actually got a cell phone, and her friend's shocked reaction to Jane not having a Palm Pilot, as, back then "everybody has a Palm Pilot". I'm not even sure my teenage kids would know what a Palm Pilot is.
I watched this for free on Plex, with commercials. I'm glad that this decades-old TV movie, which might have faded to obscurity, is able to be enjoyed by a new audience through the miracle of streaming. It's definitely a hidden gem and a cure for the same-old-same-old rom-com.