I'm sure you have been waiting breathlessly for my review of this movie and I'm sorry it was delayed. I was asked to teach the 14-16 year-old girls at church and suddenly there are a lot more demands on my time. But here it is:
What I Liked:
John Krasinski -- He did a good job with what he had. And it was wonderful to see him on the big screen. Also, on a strictly superficial note, his wardrobe was a vast improvement over the standard pleated-khakis-and-button-down Jim uniform. Mr. Krasinski can rock the male twinset. He can also rock a linen suit and a white t-shirt and pajama pants. I'll stop gushing now and hopefully retain what is left of my dignity.
Mandy Moore's Wardrobe -- Seriously, she had the cutest dresses. Plus, Ms. Moore looks like a normal human being, wonderfully unlike all the lollipop-shaped starlets we see these days. So whenever she was onscreen, I was scrutinizing her outfits, trying to remember them so I can some day recreate them.
Their Apartment -- These characters had the nicest, cutest apartment any florist and basketball coach ever had. I wanted the lamps and the linens, the couch and all the little accessories. I regretted not bringing a notebook to take notes. Which brings us to:
What I Didn't Like
I Never Got Drawn In -- If I notice every single outfit the female lead wears (and sometimes what her sister wears) and am contemplating taking notes on the set decoration of the leads' apartment, I'm not involved in the story. It was really hard to care about the characters at all. I didn't feel sympathy for the characters (maybe for the actors, but never for the characters!) and their crises, frustrations, sorrows etc. never registered with me because I just didn't care.
I Kept Asking Why -- As in, "Why are they together?" You don't see them fall in love, just some narrated vignettes showing first meeting, date, kiss, etc. and are told they are in love, but you never see why. Why they connect as human beings, why they are together, why they want to get married to one another, or why they have any interest in one another (other than sex) at all.
I Also Kept Asking Who -- As in, "Who are these people?" I'm not a huge fan of major exposition, but not finding out what either of them does professionally, or how the male lead's interacts with his family, or what they like to do in their free time. I kept wondering why I had paid good money to spend 90+ minutes with these people when I didn't know anything about them. (Confession: I paid good money to see John Krasinski on the big screen for 90+ minutes, but the people who made this film don't know that. Or at least they shouldn't bet on it.).
Robin Williams -- I've never been a huge fan of his frenetic style, but here his character crossed so many boundaries it started to get skeevy. Just take a good look at the movie poster
to realize how skeevy. There isn't any background on his character either, so you just have to figure he is an over-involved reverend, or insane and possibly dangerous.
The Creepy Man-Child -- Nothing about this character was funny. Just creepy and/or annoying.
Total Reliance on Cliches -- Seriously, there was the Bride's Practically Perfect Heterosexual Male Best Friend By Whom The Groom Feels Threatened, the Cynical, Recently-Divorced, Possibly-Alcoholic Sister of the Bride, the Wealthy, Waspy Parents of the Bride, the Groom's Best Friend Who Feels Trapped By His Marriage To A Nagging Wife And Their Out-Of-Control Children. All of them spouted cliches about love and marriage and all the while I'm thinking it seems like a bad sitcom. With a cheesy resolution in which everyone makes up, becomes friends, and the Bride's Practically Perfect Heterosexual Male Best Friend By Whom The Groom Feels Threatened and the Cynical, Recently-Divorced, Possibly-Alcoholic Sister of the Bride possibly hook up.
If you are still really curious, or don't want to pass up a chance to see Mr. Krasinski on the big screen, check out your nearest dollar theater. Otherwise, I would recommend waiting until it makes it to your local library and borrow it. All considered, I think Mr. Krasinski deserves better. Which is why I am breatlessly waiting for his next movie, Leatherheads, in which he stars with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. That is definitely something to which we can all look forward!
What I Liked:
John Krasinski -- He did a good job with what he had. And it was wonderful to see him on the big screen. Also, on a strictly superficial note, his wardrobe was a vast improvement over the standard pleated-khakis-and-button-down Jim uniform. Mr. Krasinski can rock the male twinset. He can also rock a linen suit and a white t-shirt and pajama pants. I'll stop gushing now and hopefully retain what is left of my dignity.
Mandy Moore's Wardrobe -- Seriously, she had the cutest dresses. Plus, Ms. Moore looks like a normal human being, wonderfully unlike all the lollipop-shaped starlets we see these days. So whenever she was onscreen, I was scrutinizing her outfits, trying to remember them so I can some day recreate them.
Their Apartment -- These characters had the nicest, cutest apartment any florist and basketball coach ever had. I wanted the lamps and the linens, the couch and all the little accessories. I regretted not bringing a notebook to take notes. Which brings us to:
What I Didn't Like
I Never Got Drawn In -- If I notice every single outfit the female lead wears (and sometimes what her sister wears) and am contemplating taking notes on the set decoration of the leads' apartment, I'm not involved in the story. It was really hard to care about the characters at all. I didn't feel sympathy for the characters (maybe for the actors, but never for the characters!) and their crises, frustrations, sorrows etc. never registered with me because I just didn't care.
I Kept Asking Why -- As in, "Why are they together?" You don't see them fall in love, just some narrated vignettes showing first meeting, date, kiss, etc. and are told they are in love, but you never see why. Why they connect as human beings, why they are together, why they want to get married to one another, or why they have any interest in one another (other than sex) at all.
I Also Kept Asking Who -- As in, "Who are these people?" I'm not a huge fan of major exposition, but not finding out what either of them does professionally, or how the male lead's interacts with his family, or what they like to do in their free time. I kept wondering why I had paid good money to spend 90+ minutes with these people when I didn't know anything about them. (Confession: I paid good money to see John Krasinski on the big screen for 90+ minutes, but the people who made this film don't know that. Or at least they shouldn't bet on it.).
Robin Williams -- I've never been a huge fan of his frenetic style, but here his character crossed so many boundaries it started to get skeevy. Just take a good look at the movie poster
to realize how skeevy. There isn't any background on his character either, so you just have to figure he is an over-involved reverend, or insane and possibly dangerous.
The Creepy Man-Child -- Nothing about this character was funny. Just creepy and/or annoying.
Total Reliance on Cliches -- Seriously, there was the Bride's Practically Perfect Heterosexual Male Best Friend By Whom The Groom Feels Threatened, the Cynical, Recently-Divorced, Possibly-Alcoholic Sister of the Bride, the Wealthy, Waspy Parents of the Bride, the Groom's Best Friend Who Feels Trapped By His Marriage To A Nagging Wife And Their Out-Of-Control Children. All of them spouted cliches about love and marriage and all the while I'm thinking it seems like a bad sitcom. With a cheesy resolution in which everyone makes up, becomes friends, and the Bride's Practically Perfect Heterosexual Male Best Friend By Whom The Groom Feels Threatened and the Cynical, Recently-Divorced, Possibly-Alcoholic Sister of the Bride possibly hook up.
If you are still really curious, or don't want to pass up a chance to see Mr. Krasinski on the big screen, check out your nearest dollar theater. Otherwise, I would recommend waiting until it makes it to your local library and borrow it. All considered, I think Mr. Krasinski deserves better. Which is why I am breatlessly waiting for his next movie, Leatherheads, in which he stars with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger. That is definitely something to which we can all look forward!
5 comments:
Thanks for the review. I think I will definitely be waiting for el dollar theatero.
Mmmmm, I think I second that idea.
oh, what a cast for the Leatherheads!
I know, Panini! I wish I could have snuck onto that movie set. Although then I would have spontaneously combusted or melted into a pile of goo. Neither of which would draw the kind of attention I would want from the two male leads.
hah! ;)
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