Charming rom com which apparently cost $120 million, which is disgraceful since it’s basically a couple of people talking in a room movie. Like Broadcast News (also by this writer-director) it’s a love triangle with a feisty short woman at the centre, and where the false love interest is by far the best character. But unlike Broadcast News it’s not set in an interesting world – you think it’s going to be, the world of female sports (which would have been really great), but Reese Witherspoon is axed from the team at the beginning and never goes back. So instead of her being active, like Holly Hunter was (producing TV, etc), she’s passive, hanging around guys, trying to decide what she wants to do with her life.
Also the whole Paul Rudd plot is a bit tired – his business is going down the toilet, you know his father (Jack Nicholson was paid $12 million apparently for a role that could have been done in two days) is behind it, so it’s no shock. This goes on for too long and is too familiar.
By contrast Owen Wilson’s character and the playing of it is really fresh and interesting (this is one of Wilson’s best performances).
When it comes to romance this film is on sure ground. Brooks handles scenes differently and lightly – it has real charm. But it lacks an interesting “world” within it is set – or weight (Broadcast News had journalism, As Good as it Gets had crazy Jack Nicholson). It didn’t deserve some of the critical shellacking it received but I can see why it wasn’t a big hit.
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