Pertaining To The More the Merrier

Mr. Dingle (Charles Coburn) is an amiable older gentleman who shows up in Washington D.C. to help with the housing problem. WWII is well underway, and the capitol city is literally over-flowing with people trying to do their patriotic duty. One such person is young, unmarried Constance Milligan (Jean Arthur). To help with the housing shortage, she advertizes to sublet half her apartment - and Mr. Dingle finagles his way in. Soon he decides that she needs a "high-type, clean-cut, nice young fellow." So he finagles his way further into her life by renting half of his half of the apartment to a young man named Sgt. Joe Carter (Joel McCrea). Who happens to be a high-type, clean-cut, nice young fellow. And very much available.

This is very definitely a "screwball" comedy. The storyline verges on the ridiculous, and everything is very much accelerated. (Though that seems to be the case in most romantic comedies; how do people fall in love that fast?) At the same time, a suspicious-minded person would call it "propaganda." Connie repeatedly says that subletting half her apartment is her "patriotic duty" - the implication being thus: Who knows what wonderful things could happen to you if you did your patriotic duty?

Ultimately, there were three things that sold me on this movie. First, it's one of those hilarious romantic comedies that very much follows the formula: One has an idiot significant other, but is thrown together with a different person due to unforeseen and unescapable circumstances. In just a few short days, the one and the different other find that they're in love, but neither wants to ruin anything by striking up a real relationship. And the list of the other romcom elements goes on. However, this movie is cleaner than most modern romantic comedies, though it has no fewer funny scenes. Second, I've seen the lead actor in another movie and really liked him. He's not a great actor, but I like the characters he portrays. Third, the characters are lovable. Connie is the sweetest thing. Joe is not quite as "high-type" as Mr. Dingle thinks, but he's still a good man. And Mr. Dingle is the perfect picture of a meddlesome older man who thinks he knows best for everyone - and really does.

My Rating: OK (thematic elements, very mild sexual content and references)

Regarding Leap Year

Anna Brady (Amy Adams) likes to control every aspect of her life. There's no such thing as luck in her mind - if you make the right plans, everything turns out right. If you don't, then things can get ugly. Unfortunately, the only part of her life that she can't control is her marital status. Her longtime boyfriend seems to have no interest in marriage, and Anna knows only too well that the man must always propose. Or must he? It just so happens that there's an old Irish tradition that a woman can propose to her man on February 29th. And seeing as how it's leap year and her boyfriend is at a convention in Dublin... well, Anna decides to take control and hops on a plane. But when her flight is diverted and she ends up being driven across Ireland by a handsome Irish rogue named Declan (Matthew Goode), she discovers that she just might lose control of her heart.

As you can probably guess from the blurb above, this is a typical romantic comedy. Boy meets girl, at least one of them is entangled in a relationship with an annoying/creepy/stupid/selfish person, they fight all the time, are forced into some hilarious and/or uncomfortable situations, eventually discover they're in love, almost miss their chance at happiness, but eventually get it through their thick skulls that they belong together and should act accordingly. I won't say I'm an expert on romantic comedies (I've only seen a few), but from the summaries I've read, I'm pretty sure that's how most of them go. Leap Year follows the same pattern, but with a few refreshing differences from a typical Hollywood movie.

First, Anna is fixated on the idea of plans, control, and marriage. She looks at Jeremy (Adam Scott), her boyfriend, and sees a man who just doesn't have the nerve - or something - to ask her to marry him. But marriage, or perhaps the security that comes with marriage, is what she really wants. So she decides she's going to take matters into her own hands and propose to him. This is a move that would be applauded by feminists everywhere. After all, when the man becomes too weak, the woman should step in and be the man, right? Just look at Enchanted or any one of the seemingly endless movies where it is implied that women are the ones who really save the day. Fortunately, Leap Year rejects the ideas that men and women are interchangeable and that women should be tougher and more manly than men. In the end, Declan respectfully lets Anna make her choice, but he takes the lead in the relationship when she comes back to him.

Second, and perhaps just as importantly, the message of the movie is that marriage is an essential ingredient in a relationship. It's implied that Jeremy takes too long to commit to marriage, and when he does, he commits for the wrong reason. Jeremy is all about plans (plans for things that he wants for himself), and when marriage fits into the plan, he decides to take the leap. That relationship and that kind of "love" are exposed as severely wanting. Declan, on the other hand, considers marriage as a plan in itself and decides to take that step with Anna without an ulterior motive. He doesn't need to be pushed into marriage, and even wants to get married despite Anna's offer of a relationship without marriage.

Finally, Declan respects Anna even when he could easily take advantage of her. In a typical, but funny situation, the two have to pose as a married couple in order to stay the night in the house of an old couple. Declan begs his way into sharing a bed with Anna (for reasons of comfort), but the two keep their physical distance as much as possible in the small bed. This, despite the feelings awoken when the two shared their first kiss earlier that day, and despite a long look that passes between them as they lie in bed. Declan is the one to emphatically turn his back, showing his respect for her and for the "Jeremy" she seems so eager to marry. Unfortunately, it is implied that the two don't retain their physical distance after they become engaged, but Leap Year does take a pretty large step in the right direction nonetheless.

I'm a fan of clean romances and romantic comedies, though both are few and far between. Leap Year manages to be funny and fairly clean, with a handsome hero complete with an Irish brogue, a pretty heroine who needs to learn a few lessons, and a good old Irish flavor. In the end, though, it's the refreshingly (almost) correct look at commitment and the selfish, soulless way people view love these days that make this movie worth it.

My Rating: T (mild sexual content and references, mild language)

In Relation To While You Were Sleeping

Lucy Moderatz (Sandra Bullock) is all alone. Her father died a year ago, leaving her without family, and her only friends are her co-worker and her boss. But she knows the man she's going to marry. That is, she knows what he looks like. He passes her every day on his way to work. Then, one day, an accident happens and Lucy saves his life. Peter (Peter Gallagher) is in a coma when his family arrives, and in the midst of all the confusion they get the impression that Lucy is engaged to him. Lucy doesn't have the courage to tell them the truth - and soon finds herself knee-deep in the kooky, but kind Callaghan family.

Pros: I absolutely love the Callaghans - particularly the Elsie the grandmother (Glynis Johns), Ox the dad (Peter Boyle), and, of course, Jack the brother (Bill Pullman). The storyline is whacky enough to be funny, but not whacky enough to be unbelievable. I also really like Lucy. Joe Fusco, Jr. (Michael Rispoli) is absolutely hilarious.

Cons: There's one scene where the Callaghans are at Mass and Jack and Ox are talking about business. It's a funny scene, but I'd prefer if the hero paid attention to the Mass.

My Rating: MT (sexual references, language)

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On The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Uncle Ralph (Henry Winkler) is the ultimate gift getter. For his little great-nephew Brian (Connor Christopher Levins), that is. Unfortunately, old Uncle Ralph hates shopping for girls. He finds a Christmas present for Brian's mom Jen (Brooke Burns), but when he meets a handsome stranger on his way to visit Jen and Brian, he can't resist a little match-making. So he talks Jen into letting this handsome stranger, named Morgan Derbie (Warren Christie), stay in her house for a night while Morgan's waiting for his plane. But Jen isn't too pleased about it. And neither is her boyfriend.

Pros: This was surprisingly well acted. Both the lead parts are pretty good, which is more than I can say for most Hallmark movies. It was also really funny. Uncle Ralph in particular has some great lines, while Morgan's facial expressions are hilarious.

Cons: Okay, so the story is a little unbelievable. Believe it or not, the romance isn't particularly well done. I don't mean that it's lame (although it kind of is); I mean there are pretty much zero romantic scenes, and there seems to be almost no chemistry between Morgan and Jen. Very strange for a Hallmark movie.

My Rating: OK (sexual references)

Pertaining To Guys and Dolls

Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) has a problem. He runs a gambling busniess in New York. But gambling is illegal, and he needs to raise $1000 in one day so he can use Joey Biltmore's garage as his place of business. In desperation, Nathan bets gambler Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) that he can't take Salvation Army Sergeant Sarah Brown (Jane Simmons) to Havana for dinner. There was never a more unlikely pair than Miss Sarah and Sky - but then, love is often found in unlikely places.

Pros: I love Sky Masterson. Not exactly sure why, but I do. Miss Sarah is also one of my favorite characters ever. Nathan's girlfriend Adelaide (Vivian Blaine) is great (except for her dance scenes). The music is awesome, and I always laugh all through the movie.

Cons: Okay, Marlon Brando was not cut out to be in a musical. And Frank Sinatra was not cut out to be an actor. I generally skip both Adelaide's dance scenes and the bar in Cuba because they're a little off-color.

My Rating: T (mild sexual references)

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On No Reservations

Kate's (Catherine Zeta-Jones) entire life revolves around food. No, she doesn't eat it all day every day. She's the top chef at a high-end restaurant. Then her sister is killed in a car accident and Kate suddenly becomes the guardian of her little niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin). Suddenly her life becomes two-dimensional. Then she returns to the restaurant after a few days off and discovers the owner has hired a new sous chef in her absence. Handsome, easy-going Nick (Aaron Eckhart) is a breath of fresh air for the other chefs in the kitchen. Kate doesn't know it yet, but her life is about to become three-dimensional.

Pros: Nick is a funny, sweet guy. I'm a fan of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin. It's a really laid-back movie - the main characters don't even have last names!

Cons: This story has been told a hundred times. As is usual with a romantic comedy, the main characters are perfectly willing to move in together without getting married first. In fact, there's a scene with Kate and her therapist where he asks her point-blank "What's wrong with moving in together?" Her answer is not what the first response of a good Christian would be.

My Rating: T (cohabitation (for a short time), brief mild sexual references)

On Emma

Based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, Emma is about Miss Emma Woodhouse (Kate Beckinsale), the queen bee of Highbury. Emma, triumphant over matching up her governess with a neighbor, sets out to find a match for the parson, Mr. Elton (Dominic Rowan). She promptly succeeds in embroiling herself and her closest friend, Harriet Smith (Samantha Morton), in a tangled series of events.

Pros: Jane Austen's books (and their adaptations) prove that romantic comedies are much funnier if they aren't crude. Frank Churchill (Raymond Coulthard), Harriet, Mr. Elton, and the ever-annoying Miss Bates (Prunella Scales) are very well acted.

Cons: I must admit that this isn't my favorite adaptation of Emma. I have read the book twice and seen three movie versions, so I have a very set idea of what the characters should be like. This version's Emma has little of the grace, elegance, and sense of superiority that she should have and comes across as merely silly and immature. Mr. Knightley (Mark Strong) is rather too harsh - as if they chose one aspect of his character and blew it up to become his entire character. Emma's imaginary wedding scenes are a bit too much.

My Rating: OK (some speculation about an affair)