Letter's To Juliet

Amanda Seyfried is sweet Sophie who is A fact checker for The New Yorker with dreams of being a writer.  She jets off to Verona with her fiance Victor (Bernal) for a pre honeymoon and instead of romantic time of togetherness that she envisioned the two end up on different paths and hardly spend any time together at all.  Instead, Sophie ends up on a little adventure where she helps Claire (Redgrave)  who still feels the sting of love lost find her long lost love whom she fell in love with and never saw again after a teenage summer romance.  Her and Claire hit it off immediately but she can't exactly say the same for her grandson Charlie (Egan).  The unlikely trio set out on their search and turn up all kinds of surprises.

• Amanda Seyfried is so sweet and gentle.  The face of an angel indeed as she pushes her disappointment over her absent fiance aside and embraces Claire and her search for Lorenzo.
• Bernal is quite obnoxious as the passionate foodie who seems to love food more then anything else in life including his fiance.  I knew right away that their relationship was doomed when he was more interested in Pasta then her.
• Such a sweet story.  The tears were rolling towards the end of the movie as the sounds of Taylor Swift's "Love Song" began sweloling in the background.  I'm in love and so moved by the very notion of soul mates and true love so this was right up my alley.  If that isn't your cup of tea then this movie probably won't be for you but I LOVED it

5 Stars

She's Out Of My League

Starring:  Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve,
Comedy, 2010 (Rated R)

Kirk (Baruchel) is an out of shape, socially awkward, self proclaimed 5 who meets a hard 10 at the airport where he works security with 3 of his friends.  Molly (Eve) takes an interest in him and to the surprise of Kirk and well...everybody she asks him out and they start dating.  This turn of events is too good to be true for Kirk.  No one expects it to last and he can hardly believe his good fortune at managing to date such a beautiful perfect woman.  Will his own self doubt and low self esteem sabotage the entire relationship or is it possible for a 5 to cover the spread and live happily ever after with a 10?

• This movie was hilarious from start to finish.  Kirk and his 3 buddies particularly Stainer are absolutely spot on funny throughout.
• I think it was a really great concept to explore this whole idea of beauty being only skin deep and that if you like someone you like them whether or not society believes it makes sense.

5 STARS

Leap Year

Starring:  Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott
Romantic Comedy, 2010 (Rated PG)

Amy Adams stars as Anna who is after the perfect apartment and the perfect life with her perfect boyfriend.  Since he hasn't proposed after all this time she decides to take matters into her own hands by following him to Ireland where he is attending a medical conference.  According to an Irish tradition a man can't refuse a proposal from a woman during leap year so she hops on a plane to get her man only to find out it's not nearly as easy or simple as she thought it was going to be. 

• I love Amy Adams and just about every movie she's done.  She is pert, lively, pretty, and a darn good actress.  As perfect as Anna is in this movie she somehow still manages to come off as down to earth and relatable.
• Just about everything that can go wrong does on this trip but Ana refuses to give up.
• Oh, the dilemma's that arise in matters of the heart!  Ana's boyfriend Jeremy (Scott) is as perfect as perfect can get.  It's clear that he loves her but the question remains...is it enough? 
• There are unwanted and surprising sparks between Anna and Irishmen Declan (Goode) who is quite an unpleasant character who begrudgingly helps her along her travels.  His heavy Irish accent is sometimes hard to understand so my habit of watching movies with subtitles on came in handy.

4 STARS

When In Rome

Starring:  Kristin Bell, Josh Duhamel
Romantic Comedy, 2010 (Rated PG 13)

Kristen Bell stars as Beth, an unlucky in love workaholic curator at a New York Museum.  Her younger sister meets an Italian man and plans a wedding in Italy all in two weeks causing this all about business gal to head to the romantic city of Rome where she promptly ignores the scenery and clutches her cell phone to try to call work.  She meets Nick at the wedding and starts to feel a little hopeful but when even he appears to be a disappointment she drunkenly stumbles into the fountain and cynically plucks out 5 coins.  If love really does exist it certainly doesn't come from a fountain.  Next thing she knows she is being pursued by 5 smitten suitors including Nick.  Will she finally get the man of her dreams and her happy ending or is he just under a spell?

• This movie was cute and entertaining.  It followed a lot of the typical cliches that many romantic comedies do but there is a reason for that.  We like it!
• There were very funny moments throughout and it really was a fun and funny story line.
• Who knew when we saw Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars so many years ago that she would turn out to be such a wonderful comedic actress.

3 STARS

Valentine's Day

Starring:  Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Emma Roberts, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher...to name a few.
Romantic Comedy, 2010

A series of interwoven stories plays out on Valentine's Day.  This day means something different to everyone.  There are affairs, new love, lonely hearts, and broken hearts as everyone attempts to find their way on Valentine's Day.

• This is a classic case of a movie that tried way too hard to be good. 
• I'm not going to say it was bad but it really just didn't "Do" anything for me.  The characters were mostly shallow and one dimensional.  I found that I really didn't connect or care all too much about what happened to any of them.
• I did like the way the stories wove together in unexpected ways but other then that this movie just sort of fell flat for me.  I can't quite put my finger on it.  There was just something missing.
• You certainly can't criticize the cast.  That's for sure.  With an all star cast of a huge variety of established and new actors there was likely a favorite in there for everyone.
• It was nice to see Taylor Swift take her first stab at acting.  She played the ditz and I don't know if was because the movie itself was so flat to me but her acting kind of felt that way too. 

3 Stars

Did You Hear About The Morgans?

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker
Romantic Comedy, 2009 (Rates PG 13)


A couple on the verge of divorce witness a murder together and find themselves forced to leave their high powered life of luxury in New York to enter the witness protection program. Meryl is the owner of a successful real estate firm and Paul is an attorney. What will they do when they find themselves together in the middle of small town USA without their assistants?

• Ever since he played the love obsession of Bridget Jones (Zellweger) in Bridget Jones Diary it seems that someone somewhere decided that Hugh Grant with his English accent, flashing blue eyes, and awkward demeanor is hot. And it seems to have stuck.
• Don't get me wrong, I like Hugh Grant. I do think he's attractive but he's more nerd then hot if you asked me.
• A lot of his sarcastic quips throughout the movie were funny but some of them were just plain old corny.
• I didn't exactly feel the love connection between Grant and Parker. There was just no chemistry. There was nothing there that made me want to root for them.
• I love Sarah Jessica Parker and am usually quite happy to watch anything that she is in. I love it how she managed to look stylish in a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt and some boots.
• The movie was sort of predictable but what can you expect? It was a romantic comedy.

4 STARS

500 Days Of Summer

Starring: Zooey Dechanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Romantic Comedy, 2009 (Rated PG 13)


A greeting card writer falls head over heels in love with the new secretary at the office. Summer is totally upfront in her non belief in love and lack of desire to have a serious relationship or commitment but Mark is so in love he pursues her anyways like a love sick puppy. What follows is the story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl sort of falls in love with boy, boy wants more, and girl breaks up with boy.

• This movie is a testament to the concept that you cannot force love. It is either there or it isn't and no amount of wanting it to be so will make it any different.
• There were some cool quirky effects throughout the movie that kept it fun and interesting.
• It was cool to see Dechanel play a character that actually had a real job!!!
• Mark is the perfect kind of guy that every girl wants but only some are lucky enough to get. Despite all of his wonderfulness Summer just wasn't interested and sometimes that's just the way love goes.

4 Stars

The Accidental Husband

Starring: Uma Thurman, Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Comedy, 2007 (Rated PG 13)

Thurman stars as the Love Doctor, a talk show host of a very popular radio show that specializes in matters of the heart and relationships. Women all over NYC listen to her religiously and take her advice as truth. A woman breaks up with her fiance a week before their wedding based on Dr Emma Lloyd's advice and the jilted fiance Patrick (Morgan) tries to get back at her for ruining his life. In the process of exacting his revenge he finds out that he actually likes Dr Lloyd despite the fact that they are total and complete opposites. Dr Lloyd herself is on the brink of getting married to her book publisher Richard (Firth) and now that Patrick has wreaked havoc on her perfect life she finds herself questioning her own relationship and asking for advice when she is usually the one that gives it.

• This movie was pretty funny and enjoyable.
• Thurman's character is a classic type A has everything together perfectionist and it was interesting to watch her perfect little shiny life crumble a little bit.
• Richard was the perfect husband on paper and completed her neat and perfect life but that is not always the one you should be with.
• I didn't quite feel the chemistry between Emma and Patrick but I loved the story and the way it ended.

4 Stars

I Hate Valentines Day

Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett

Romantic Comedy, 2009

A florist is such a hopeless romantic that she limits every guy to 5 days so as to keep the romance fresh and avoid any hurt or disappointment. She begins dating a handsome man who opens a restaurant across from her flower business but when the five dates are over she finds that she feels just a little bit differently about her normal operating procedure then usual.

• I thought it was cute how the passage of time in this movie was marked by the different holidays as shown by the decorations and flowers inside Genevieves' flower shop.
• Her character is flanked by the two gay guys who work with her and some other unique friends that add a lot of humor to the movie.
• I am not sure how John Corbett became Mr. Romantic comedy lead (I suppose his role on Sex In The City helped out a lot). He has a kind goofy quality about him in this movie that makes him any girls dream date.

3 Stars

The Ugly Truth

Starring: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler
Romantic Comedy, 2009

Hiegl plays Abby who is an uptight lovelorn television producer who hasn't had sex in eleven months. Falling ratings causes her TV station to hire Mike to appear in a television on sex and relationships much to Abby's dismay. Abby knows exactly what her dream man is like and Mike is the exact opposite and totally cynical when it comes to love. He convinces her to accept his expert advise on how to properly snag her dreamy doctor neighbor and Abby finds out that Mike isn't as bad as she originally thought he was.

• Heigl is wonderful as usual playing her kind of typical role as a successful and beautiful woman who is lacking in the love department.
• It was strange to see butler in a Romantic Comedy after his mantastic role in 300 but he pulled it off well. I can kind of hear his Irish accent on some of his "I's" but he did a really great job.
• Some very funny moments. Perfect for those who love romantic comedies-which I totally do!!

4 Stars

The Proposal

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds
Romantic Comedy, 2009

A bossy high powered book publishing executive finds out that her Visa will not be expired and she will have to return to Canada. In order to avoid this she basically tells her assistant who she has ordered around and mostly ignored for the past 3 years that he must marry her so she can keep her Visa. At Grandma's birthday weekend in Alaska the pair find out more about each other then they ever thought they wanted to.

• I really liked this funny movie.
• The story line was kind of typical but they did it well and it worked.

4 Stars

Out At The Wedding

Starring: Andrea Marcelius, Desi Lydic

2006, Romantic Comedy

The misadventures of a woman who lies to her new fiance about her family to spare him from them and lies to her family to spare them from her fiance. She sneaks of to her sister's wedding and when a rumor about her sexuality gets started she propagates it spare her little sister's feelings. When her two worlds collide unexpectedly she enlists the help of a lesbian stranger to keep the lie going and what happens next is a totally unexpected comedy of errors.

• This movie was funny but the acting was mostly bad.
• The casting choice for the lesbian was questionable. I couldn't tell if she was a man, women, or male to female transexual. The credits rolled and showed a female name but that still doesn't really answer my question
• It actually had a good story line that was interesting but I can't really rave about it because of the overall poor quality of the acting and appearance of the film.

1 Stars

Management

Starring: Jennifer Anniston, Paul Zahn (2008)

Romantic Comedy

This heartfelt movie was about a man who lives and works at a small town hotel owned by his parents who meets a young professional just passing through town on business. After making an advance on her and deciding that she is the love of his life he pursues her across the country.

• Paul Zahn plays Mike perfectly. He is so not Sue's type, but there is something so goofy, sweet, and lovable about Mike that even she somehow can't resist his awkward and so not cool advances.
• This movie is a testament to the power of love and how it doesn't always make sense. When you feel it, you feel it and often will do whatever you have to in order to pursue it no matter what the odds. Sometimes it's right there in your face and you don't even know it but once you do...it's amazing.
• If you love a good love story like I do then you will love this movie like I did.

5 Stars

Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past

Romantic Comedy, 2009 (PG-13)
Starring: Jennifer Garner, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Douglas, Lacey Chabert


Drawing on the age old scrooge concept a shallow, self centered womanizer is visited by the ghosts of his girlfriends past, present and future to help him see the error of his ways before it's too late.

• Very cute and funny movie
• Some of the dialogue was so sappy sweet and cliche but oh how I loved it. It's so romantic. The kind of thing that makes my heart melt.
• The message is kind of black and white but I buy it 'cause I'm all for love and romance. Those who don't buy into it are not likely to agree.
• Moral of the story: If you don't believe in love and lead a single loveless bachelor type man's man lifestyle you an empty shell of what you could be. Accordingly, the life you lead along with everyone you touch will be negatively impacted.

4 Stars

Gigantic

Romantic Comedy, 2008 (Rated R)
Starring: Paul Dano and Zooey Deschanel

A man in his late 20's who is still finding himself and just so happens to have an obsession with adopting a baby from China falls for the daughter of one of the customers at a mattress shop where he works.

• Cute movie but it was dry and very slow.
• Classic Deschanel type indie movie. I watched it because she's in it.
• I still can't quite figure out what the deal is with the homeless man who routinely attacks Brian (Dano).

2 Stars

Camille

Romantic Comedy, 2008 (PG 13)

Starring: Sienna Miller, James Franco

Camille is a happy bride in love and will do anything it takes to make it to her honeymoon destination even if her new husband is less then enthusiastic.

• I was trying to figure out why in the hell is this beautiful sweet girl in love with this evil no good ex con who obviously could care less about her. Even worse, why is her family so happy about it?
• As the movie goes on you figure out why. Simply put Camille is in love. No one can tell her anything when it comes to her new hubby so that's that.
• This movie is part comedy, part drama, part way too silly but somehow it works.
• Love is something else.
• Very sweet and cute movie.
• Sienna Miller turns on the southern accent and I love her portrayal of this sweet character. She is so talented. I didn't even realize she had an English accent (not American) until I saw her in an interview.
  
  
  4 STARS