Powerful

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is a romantic comedy set in the early 1960s in New York City. It is done is the style of the romcoms that Doris Day starred in during the 1950s and 1960s. This is a pale imitation of them. Although the stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor have acted very well in other films, they're awful in this. Zellweger and McGregor can't decide whether they're paying homage to Doris Day romcoms or making fun of them. I don't know who the intended audience demographic for this film was. The large majority of film fans in the 21st century aren't into this style of comedy; those who are wouldn't enjoy this mediocre copy of them. It's too tame and bland to be a funny parody and too badly made to be a good imitation of them.

I once saw pieces of Down with Love on TV. The film is extremely silly and over the top. That was the first thing that caught my eye then and made me interested. However, after all these years that level of silliness just feels annoying. Of course this movie has something amazing as well, like the kind of plot twists you would never see coming, and a lot of them. Still, even they don't seem to be enough to salvage the movie. It's boring, and eventually quite predictable, if you don't the plot twists that shuffle the pack a bit. The 60's aesthetic and music is a nice touch, but eventually this movie was a big let down. The cast is excellent, though.

More than a hint of Day and Hudson here. The general similarity to Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back is unmistakable, and yet this movie is fresh, amusing and delightful. It's light and fluffy and the leads are wonderfully 60's camp in their roles. No deep thinking is necessary here - it's not Dr. Zhivago, after all. However, the level of amusement (and nostalgia) is high. Renee and Ewan play excellently off each other, and David is a delight, playing much like his character in Frasier. There are several recognisable actors in what amount to cameo parts, Tony Randal being one such. This too is an homage to similar characters he played in the Day/Hudson movies. All-in-all this movie is good, gentle fun.

By being crude, raunchy and mean-spirited, the whole movie is not at all like the Doris Day-Rock Hudson originals it is supposed to spoof. There are so many little touches they COULD have used to make this amusing and fun - one thinks the writers hardly looked at the originals when they wrote the script! Ewan McGregor is a laughable 'metrosexual' when compared to the he-man types of Rock Hudson or James Garner of the period this is supposed to spoof.Except... for one role. David Hyde Pierce saves the movie. He does such a SPOT-ON take of the classic Tony Randall role and the dialog that is written for him is SO perfect it would have been a hit for Tony Randall to read the same lines in the early 60's. I swear, they must have had one genius writing for Pierce and a roomful of morons writing the rest of the movie.