Released: January 27th, 2006
Rated: R
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Starring: Piper Perabo, Lena Headey, Matthew Goode,
Celia Imrie, Anthony Head
Directed by: Ol Parker
Written by: Ol Parker
Personal Bias Alert:
not a rom-com fan, used
to seeing Lena Headey playing tough characters
6 of 10
This
movie might be the definition of twee.
It starts out with a nauseating little sequence in which Rachel (Piper
Perabo) is getting ready for her wedding.
The dress is put on, the parents lightly bicker, and the bridesmaids
actually squeal in delight. Then it’s
off to the wedding, but not after an ever so cute pit stop at McDonalds to take
care of nature’s business (product placement, anyone?). I wasn’t happy right off the bat, but then a
curious thing began to happen. A running
gag about how everyone’s more concerned about themselves than the bride and
groom started working, and even though the clichés were still digging into me,
I started to settle into the film’s gentle rhythms. And if that’s how you go into it, with a
breezy, lighthearted attitude, then this film can cast a pleasant little spell
on you.
Since
this is a rom-com, you can be sure that the blossoming relationship isn’t going
to go smoothly. It had a good chance,
though; Rachel and hubby Heck (Matthew Goode) are the best of friends, and
their relationship is an easy one. At
least it was, until Rachel glances over and is instantly attracted to florist Luce
(Lena Headey) as she walks down the aisle.
Both Rachel and Luce try to fight it, Luce being against breaking up
couples and Rachel desperately not wanting to hurt Heck, but it’s a losing
battle. Add in Heck’s philandering best
friend, Coop (Darren Boyd), and Rachel’s overbearing parents (Celia Imrie and
Anthony Head) and you’ve got a pretty basic rom-com setup, except this time
you’re rooting for a lesbian couple.
I’ve
got to say, it’s kind of nice how much of a non-issue the lesbian angle is. Yes, people comment on it and jokes are made,
but overall the situation plays out exactly how it would have if Rachel had
fallen for another man. No one is
horrified or judgmental about it, and Rachel seems to accept this new
development in her personality with little fanfare. The film seems to approach the whole thing
with an attitude of “yeah, it happens,” which it does. It’s also a smart choice because any
significant issues would have stuck out like a sore thumb. This film’s simply not interested in that
sort of thing.
That’s
not to say that there isn’t any weight to it.
For an airy movie, it does take the time to fill in some motivations and
backstory so we understand why Rachel and Luce won’t just get together. Both women get some throwaway scenes with
their parents to show their motivations, but mostly they just pine over each
other from afar. The character of Heck
is the most impressive, with Matthew Goode turning in a great performance. Heck’s a decent guy without being a shmuck,
and you understand why Rachel is so attached to him. This is a film filled with people, besides
Coop, who don’t want to hurt each other.
I think that’s how most people are in real life, but it’s not an oft
portrayed characterization in film. This
decency goes a long way to making the film go down easy.
It
does, at times, cross the line into overtly saccharine material, particularly
with the music and dialogue. It’s cheese
through and through, complete with stuttering admissions of attraction, flowers
as innuendo, and endless meet-cutes.
Headey and Parabo don’t do much to smooth it out, either. They have some chemistry, but I’m not sure I
buy them rolling around on flowers, madly in love. They just feel more like friends to me. Headey does get to show off a comedy side,
something that’s not often seen, and she’s excellent as the straight man
(except for the fact that she’s playing a gay woman).
Normally
when I start throwing around words like twee, airy, and saccharine, you would
be in for a scathing review. I admit
that this film is all of those things. I
also admit that those things generally inhibit a movie from working, but this
one just does. It’s a fairy tale, and it’s
a gratifyingly sweet one.
Other Notes:
Ø The
whole thing feels one note. There’s
barely enough to fill the 94 minute runtime.
Ø He
he. Coop said “vagitarian.”
Ø If
you ever wanted to see a woman sobbing on Cersae Lannister while she tries to
answer a phone, then this is the movie for you.
Ø I’ll
admit it, I had a big smile on my face at the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment