Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
The ads for this movie suck. They don’t explain the premise. They don’t even attempt to sell the story. They just plain suck. I remember a time not so long ago when Rob Reiner’s name was actually used to sell a movie. Now, it’s like they’re ashamed that he’s the director. They practically hide the fact that it’s his film. Hell, most people don’t even realize Rob Reiner’s got a new film coming out this summer.
Harry’s a shameless sucker for romantic comedies... shameless... seriously... so I almost have to discount anything he’s got to say about this one. This next review certainly doesn’t inspire any confidence either...
Harry,
Caught a preview of Alex & Emma last night, Rob Reiner's latest starring Luke Wilson and Kate Husdon. Not too impressed. Reiner, who once rode the crest of the romantic comedy wave is now lost in the undertow. This flick forgot the comedy part of the romantic comedy. Come to think of it, they forgot the romance part too.
Flick has a lame premise - ALL spoilers
Wilson is a novelist who's into the Cuban mafia for 100 large due to gambling debts. He has to finish his new novel so he can get his publisher to pay for the book and he can pay the debt. Two toughs hang him off of his terrace until he promises to deliver the book within thirty days. Bu the has writer's block.
Enter Hudson as the stenographer responding to his want ad. he wants to hire her so he can simply dictate the book instead of typing it himself. Actually he tricks her into thinking she's applying for a job at a law firm, but he soon convincer her to stay and help him. Right Sure. She even agrees to get paid only if and when he finishes the book. Puleeze! Not only would no one who needed a job do this, it pretends the difficult part of writing is typing!
The rest of the movie is Wilson dictating the book - a boring romance set on a resort island in New England in the twenties - to Hudson who continually critiques his plot and character choices. This gets dull pretty fast.
Wilson portrays the hero of his novel - a teacher tutoring the children of a beautiful but temporarily destitute heiress (french beauty Sophie Marceau) and Hudson is seen variously as the woman's Swedish, then German, and finally American servant. The novel has him constantly torn for his love of both the servant and the lady of the house. Back in the real world there is a mirror tussle between Hidson and the woman who inspired the Heiress character.
The jokes are nonexistent. One of the highlight moments is Hudson purposely spilling boiling water into Wilson's crotch - just to give you an idea.
In modern times, the two characters bicker as they strive to meet the deadline. Do they make it? It is really ever a question. There is absolutely no tension in this whatsoever.
Reiner himself appears briefly as Wilson's publisher and gives himself one of the best lines as he cuts the check - "I forget - do I make it out to Cuban Mafia or THE Cuban Mafia?"
Wilson and Hudson have precious little chemistry and can only make slight improvement to a criminally dull script. It's just as dull as Maid In Manhattan but with even lamer energy. If this makes serious dough, I'm giving up hope for the entire genre.
If you publish this, please call me
Mr. Tartan
Man, that just makes me sad.
"Moriarty" out.
