September 3, 2010
New Line etc.
Comedy, Romance
DVD
B+
Although not on the level of High Fidelity, this rom-com is much better than it should be. Like High Fi, it is mainly told from the man's perspective (although less so of course), and perhaps that's why it's cruder and yet more believable. Not that that made The Wedding Singer or Apatow and the like any more realistic of course. And although Erin, played by, yes, Drew Barrymore again, is very much a one-of-the-guys kind of girl, to the point that when she's drunk she tells the stranger she's arguing with to commit sex acts with "her penis," she is also definitely a modern woman, one who confides in her blabby friend Harper (Sarah Burns, in a smaller but similar role to I Love You Man's Hailey). Garrett, played by Barrymore's real on-again-off-again boyfriend Justin Long, responds to the explanation of girl-talk with "I know how it works. I've seen Moesha."
That is just one of many hilarious lines that sound off the cuff, said the way that witty, pop-culturally savvy people, like Garrett in the music-industry and Erin in newspapers, talk. Within the first five minutes, I was laughing very hard and thinking about how much I adore this movie. That it also acknowledges that its main couple are in dying businesses, as things move more and more into the cyber-world, is another strain of realism that I appreciate. (I said of Never Been Kissed, "This film...does not have a moment in it that is believable even within its own poorly constructed world," and Barrymore's journalist roles is one point of comparison.) Technology also has its impact on the long-distance (New York to San Francisco) relationship, with Erin and Garrett keeping in touch through not only cell phones but videochatting, but it only adds to the frustration that they feel that they are physically separated. And have you ever seen another rom-com that has the couple decide not to visit at Christmas because airline tickets are too pricy?
Even the supporting performances, while exaggerated, are believable on some level, rising above stereotypes that we see elsewhere in rom-coms, Barrymore's Music and Lyrics among them. Christina Applegate has the role of the germ-phobic, nagging but loving older sister, which she does so much more (comedically and dramatically) with than Kristen Johnson in M & L. (Even the henpecked husband is better here, and in fact Jim Gaffigan had the best line in the trailer, if YouTube comments are any evidence.) Jason Sudeikis as Box and Charlie Day (who would do the voice of Benny in The Lego Movie) as Dan are over the top at times (Day especially), but even at their most outrageous they give the lines such sincerity that it only adds to the humor. The main cast's chemistry, not just romantic, is perfect, and it's a treat to hang out with the various combinations of these five people. But, yes, it's Barrymore and Long's real-life chemistry coming through, that we totally buy, for instance, that he makes her laugh that hard, which makes the movie so special. We want to see them kiss and we (well, I anyway) cry with them when they cry.
So why not an A- or even higher? Well, I don't think the movie maintains the high level of the first half to full hour. Not that it sours but it does lose its giddiness, and not just as it turns more serious. Even the funny scenes feel less funny. Still, it remains an underrated genre-buster that stretches and even shatters a few of the rom-com tropes (like the way jealousy is handled), while staying comedic and romantic most of the time.
Matt Servitto was Arty in Enchanted and is Hugh here.
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