Leap Year

First Hit: The film was reasonably entertaining even though the story was telegraphed and there were no surprises.

Amy Adams is a very fine actress. And without her in this film I’m sure I wouldn’t have found it entertaining at all.

She has an ability to express so many feelings and thoughts without dialogue which places her on the top shelf of today's actresses. Unfortunately this film doesn’t allow her to fully practice her craft.

The obvious story line for this film is that she plays a social climber with a long time boyfriend, whom she wants to marry, and accidentally finds someone else she wants to marry when she walks into a small town bar in Ireland.

The rest of the film is about entertaining the audience through pratfalls and trials and tribulations so that we care about the ending we already know is coming. Yes, the film is entertaining enough but something about the minimal amount of chemistry between Anna and Declan (Matthew Goode) kept me wondering why him. Yes, he is a solid sort of guy, is good looking, but I couldn’t really see what the attraction was for either of them.

However, this minimal chemistry was far more than the chemistry between Anna and her long time boyfriend Jeremy (played by Adam Scott). Their relationship felt like a business relationship and totally devoid of any deep romantic love. So, if Anna had to pick between the two men, it had to be Declan.

Adams made this film watchable; I just wish it would have been better written with deeper and more interesting character development. Goode’s performance was a little too distant for me and he didn’t bring much vibrancy to the role. However, I would have to say that much of his performance, or lack thereof, was probably due to the script and the mediocre direction received by Anand Tucker.

Overall: This is a quiet interruptible Sunday evening film or video with your girlfriend, lover or wife.

The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

First Hit: Very predictable from the get go, and even with this at times it was a funny journey.

Matthew McConaughey plays a good looking, charming, sleazy, always gets the girl, photographer named Connor Mead who was raised by his Uncle Wayne (Played by Michael Douglas).

Connor and his brother were young when their parents died and this short burst of information is to have us believe there were no role models. Connor’s closest friend during this childhood was Jenny Perotti (Played by Jennifer Garner) and it was she that gave him his first camera.

In high school, because Connor didn’t have the guts to ask Jenny to dance, Jenny danced with Pete Hastings. Pete kissed Jenny and that crushed Conner’s heart. We are set up to believe that this is what turned Conner into such a cad along with the guidance of Uncle Wayne.

Moving forward into the in current day, during the wedding of his brother, Connor makes an announcement that love is a fantasy invented by weak people. In doing so we glimpse of his previous pain and we know he is about to get his due.

The lesson comes from ghosts who visit him during his brother’s wedding weekend. The first ghost is his Uncle Wayne the king of cads and a very lonely man. The other ghosts are of his past, present and future life and the women in it.

There are possibilities in this film just as there are holes big enough to drive a truck through. McConaughey is perfect as the smarmy smooth talker that talks every girl into bed.  He has shown to be a more complex actor and if this film had taken on a different tone he probably would have been good in it. Douglas is reasonable and believable as the mentor and inspiration for McConaughey’s smarmy view of life. Garner is, as always, capable of making me like her in anything she does and she does this here as well. She is just so damn believable.

Overall: If you want something light hearted, with a few laughs, and an afternoon to kill, watching this film will give you a few laughs but probably won’t leave you contemplating your actions towards women or men.

Shall We Kiss

First Hit: An amusing film showing what can happen when a kiss ends up being more than what was initially intended.

I loved the beginning of the film, the happenstance of two people meeting and getting to know each other over an act of kindness, then dinner and then the moment of taking it just one more step – a kiss.

The two strangers played by Michael Cohen and Julie Gayet are interesting and have an immediate onscreen chemistry. I loved his honest, slightly nervous way of creating next steps; giving her a ride to her hotel, asking her out to dinner and asking for a kiss.

Although the audience knows she wants to take him up on his offer for a kiss, she tells him no because of the danger of having one kiss. He is curious and asks her to tell him this story. At this point the film presents this story as the main part of the film.

The story is of Nicholas and Judith who are friends and as friends do they support each other. One day Nicolas asks for some support in the way of physical affection starting with a kiss, and this leads them into a deep and romantic relationship.

However the problem is that Judith is married. Occasionally we get back to the original characters, which, as an audience member, is where my interest laid. I found the story of Nicolas and Judith to be stilted and with little real onscreen chemistry. Their kisses lacked romance and passion which was in contrast to the real time story with Cohen and Gayet.

The overall film is cute and does give the audience lots to think about, but, for me my real interest was with Cohen and Gayet and when they kiss you know you are watching a full, deeply moving, and passionate kiss.

Emmanuel Mouret directed this film, including himself as Nicolas. His relationship with Judith simply lacks the passion required for me to believe their story and the story line. I don’t think Mouret was the right choice for the male lead and maybe with another person the story would have had the impact which was intended.

Overall: Present day scenes with Cohen and Gayet are wonderful, the rest is just so-so, but the story idea is very good and just adequately executed.

Smart People

First Hit: Although billed as a romantic comedy, it seemed more of a drama with some good acting.

There are four really good parts in this film and they're handled admirably by Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church.

This mix of brings together a dynamic set of characters in a movie that has an underlying dull tone. Quaid plays a professor who has lost his wife and his drive for living an engaged life. He is cynical, lazy, non-caring, and buries his sadness and hurt by just checking out.

When someone approaches him in his field of expertise, he quickly sizes them up and cuts them down as being unworthy of this time. His daughter, played by Page, is lost in her own way. She is the family glue while also attempting to be perfect.

She's a perfect Republican, Student, and by filling in for her deceased mother she's the perfect daughter. She is also a cynical wise cracking friendless lonely girl who doesn’t want anyone to interrupt their household until she heads off to college.

Quaid gets hurt in a fall and because of the injury has to be driven everywhere he goes. Paige doesn’t want to do this and brings in Quaid’s brother Church who is a drifter and loner that is always broke and finds scams for jobs. He gets the job of driving for Quaid, moves in and causes havoc, and misses many of his appointments to pick up Quaid. While at the hospital Quaid is treated by Parker who was a former infatuated student of his and is now a physician. They begin to date which causes an upheaval in the household.

Overall: The acting was very good and the characters interesting but I would have like more on the Parker and Quaid relationship and less on the Page and Church relationship.