Day 79: When Harry Met Sally…

When Harry Met Sally…
Director: Rob Reiner
Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher & Bruno Kirby
Rated: R
Length: 96 min
Released: July 21, 1989
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
Harry and Sally meet when she gives him a ride to New York after they both graduate from the University of Chicago. The film jumps through their lives as they both search for love, but fail, bumping into each other time and time again. Finally a close friendship blooms between them, and they both like having a friend of the opposite sex. But then they are confronted with the problem: “Can a man and a woman be friends, without sex getting in the way?”

My Thoughts:
This film has some special significance to me. It’s the first romantic comedy I watched with my wife…back when we first started dating. It’s a unique combination of Crystal and Ryan…but to my surprise it works.

I can’t say it’s by favorite, but I don’t mind it either. There was a lot regarding sex…and some of it seemed to cross the line a little, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as others I’ve seen.

Another quick note…it was nice to see Carrie Fisher in a role other than Princess Lea in the Star Wars films.

I’m giving this one 3.5 stars out of 5.

Day 66: Hitch

Hitch
Directed by: Andy Tennant
Starring: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James & Amber Valletta
Rated: PG-13
Length: 118 min.
Released: February 11, 2005
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
In New York, Alex Hitchen is a kind of sentimental advisor, teaching each client how to date the woman of his dream. His present case is helping the clumsy Albert to date the wealthy and powerful Allegra Cole. Meanwhile, Hitch has a crush on the gossip columnist Sara, who was assigned to write about Allegra. When the best girlfriend of Sara has a love disillusion with a man that Sara thinks that is a client of Hitch, she plots a revenge against Hitch and the misunderstanding leads the two couples to a conflictive situation.

My Thoughts:
This is what I would all a romantic comedy for guys. It’s less about the luvy duvy “ooo he’s so hansom…he’s so smooth and sexy…” bla bla bla, and more about how hard it is for the average guy…the less than Hollywood perfect guy…to actually pursue the girl of their dreams. Most guys will connect with that element of this movie.

They’ll also connect with how crazy women can get when they “read into things” too much. Yeah, there are a lot of creeps out there who ruin it for the rest of us genuinely kind, chivalrous and strong guys that just have a hard time putting all of that together because you ladies are far more captivating than you think.

Lord knows I felt that way when I first thought of dating my wife. I was a mess…but I tried so hard to win her heart. I pray that I’d to continue that.

Is it funny?…absolutely. Is it romantic?…yep. Does it have more to offer the guys than a typical “chick flick?”…without a doubt, yes. 4 stars out of 5.

Day 19: Three to Tango

Three to Tango
Directed by: Damon Santostefano
Starring: Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott, Oliver Platt & John C. McGinley
Rated: PG-13
Length: 98 min.
Released:  October 22, 1999
Trailer

IMDB.com Synopsis:
Oscar is an architect, he and his partner, Peter are competing with another pair for a restoration job. Charles Newman, the pompous businessman, who will decide who among them will do the job. He instructs them to build a model of their proposals, he will decide then which one will get the job, and they have to pay for it themselves. Now Oscar and Peter are struggling but Peter decides to mortgage his apartment so they can get the job. Now Peter who is gay and after being caught in a “compromising” position with him, Oscar is misbelieved to be gay. Now Charles who has a mistress, Amy. Now she is surround by several male friends, Charles is a little insecure; when he learns that Oscar is gay, he “asks” him to keep an eye on her. Oscar is taken with her but when he learns that they think he is gay, and knowing that it could jeopardize the job allows them to continue thinking that. But things go out of hand when a newspaper reporter outs him. And Oscar who has fallen for Amy and who disapproves of her relationship with Charles, is uncertain of what to do.

My Thoughts
So, before there was I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry…there was Three To Tango. To be honest I had no idea what this movie was about before I watched it. It was given to me in a stack of VHS tapes and I think I threw it in there to balance out all the manly movies. The wife would not have liked it if I didn’t bring home a few romantic comedies…you know?

This humorous plot is one that seems to come out of the woodwork about every 4-5 years or so. Through some strange situation a straight guy is forced to fake being gay…only to have the lies fall apart and he gets caught. But, always has a new outlook on life in the end. It’s a smart way for the pro-gay movement to get their message out there. Have the audience get a look at what it would be like for a straight person to be treated as gay. That makes the audience think about the fair treatment of the gay community in general. Very smart idea.

This film didn’t seem as “preachy” as others though. I liked that. It was just a funny, ironic and entertaining love story about a guy who can’t get the girl of his dreams because he’s forced to pretend he’s gay. I mean let’s be honest, that would be a rather funny (or at least ironic) situation for a straight guy to be in.

The cast was also a bunch of all-stars! Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott, Oliver Platt and even that guy from Scrubs John C. McGinley! All of them give decent performances in this B flick romantic comedy. Rather short review today, I know…but I’ll give this one 3.5 stars out of 5. It was funny…but not an epic fall on the floor laughing comedy. It was sappy at times too. But hey…it’s more of a “chick-flick” so that’s to be expected.

Day 2: Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain

Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain
Directed by: Jean Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou
Rated: R
Length: 122 min.
Released: April 25, 2001
Trailer

Amazon.com Synopsis:
Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, this magical comedy earned overwhelming acclaim nationwide! A painfully shy waitress working at a tiny Paris cafe, Amélie makes a surprising discovery and sees her life drastically changed for the better! From then on, Amélie dedicates herself to helping others find happiness … in the most delightfully unexpected way! But will she have the courage to do for herself what she has done for others?

My Thoughts
Ahh the French. They’ve given us wonderful food, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Paris…the “city of love,” a fun way to kiss each other, the guillotine, a reason to protests for everything under the sun, and then in 2001 they gave us Amélie. I generally don’t have much of a problem with foreign films and in the case of Amelie the subtitles didn’t bother me much at all. Since this film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and had a rating of 90% or better on all RottenTomatoes.com categories I went into it thinking it would be far grander than it turned out to be. I think the main thing that bothered me was that the only reason for the R rating is the couple moments of nudity/sex (no matter how brief) that they threw on the screen. They seemed a bit out of left field. This could have been turned into a great family film about how important it is to help those you see in need, but alas…the French can’t keep their clothes on.

I also didn’t quite get the humor. Maybe it’s a cultural barrier, but this comedy didn’t make me laugh nearly as much as I had been hoping. Sure it’s funny to watch a few practical jokes get pulled on a rude guy that probably deserves it, but that wasn’t enough for me to really call this an all out comedy. It’s more of a romance with a few moments of comedy.

Overall I did like it though. The thing that caught my eye the most was how well she knew the people in her apartment building and at work. I couldn’t help but think about how most people today couldn’t tell you their neighbor’s name, let alone see ways that they could help them. In that regard, this movie challenged me a little. I’ve recently moved and still don’t know many of my own neighbors. I want to be able to help those God has blessed me to be around, but I don’t know how to help many of the people in my life. I will need to get to know them in order to figure that out.

So the verdict is that Amélie is a sweet story about a girl who finds ways to help her friends and herself…and the French still really like naked people. Overall I would give this one 3.5 stars out of 5. I know that puts me in the minority not totally loving it, but I didn’t say it was all bad.