Good start, but then it gets ruined

Admirable film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Rosie (Michelle Pfeiffer) is divorced mother of Izzie (Saoirse Ronan) and a producer of a silly high school TV show. She falls for new actor Adam (Paul Rudd), but the age difference is driving her crazy. I like Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd as a lovely couple. That is certainly a huge chunk of the movie, and is a lot of fun. But there are two things that are constantly annoying me in this movie.First, writer/director Amy Heckerling wants this to be The Graduate with a different ending. Only Michelle Pfeiffer looks way too hot for the Anne Bancroft role. And Paul Rudd look older than 29. It makes the age difference look insignificant, and takes away much of the drama. Second, I couldn't stand Mother Nature (Tracey Ullman). She causes every scene to get off the narrative. It's very distracting. She's part of a whole series of overwritten jokey setups.In the end, I like the leads. Saoirse is cute as the kid. That's enough to recommend this movie marginally.

I purchased the DVD to see more Michelle Pfeiffer. Well, she carries the film on her lovely shoulders. Even with her hair in a rumpled mess, she is stunningly beautiful at 49.Rosie (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a television writer/producer struggling valiantly to remain hip and relevant in a teen culture that has long passed her by. She reads all the teen magazines and annoys her daughter with her attempts to decode the evolving teen speech patterns to remain employable in a youth-obsessed television industry.I enjoyed watching Rosie attempting to smooth the path for daughter Izzie just starting to deal with the complexities of puberty and dating. Rosie's ex-husband adds to her difficulties by acting less mature than his barely teen-aged daughter.Paul Rudd was effective as the younger man (Adam) who falls for the beautiful older woman. He apparently was not simply the young stud looking to advance his career by romancing his lonely boss. This being Hollywood, the assumption about the insincerity of his motives is widespread. Adam is perceived as attractive by many of the young women his age, especially after his growing career success. Adam finds no attraction for these young women and remains devoted to Rosie.I found the closing musical number quite offensive. The Hollywood animus to George Bush (president at the time of filming) was over the top. Supposedly, Bush would stab his mother for a gallon of gas. Well, I have never seen any account of Bush where he actually demonstrated anything less than devotion to his mother.Oh well, despite this attitude I found this a better effort than many others out there.

Some people who commented on this film were calling it terrible. But I had it available for free as part of a Cinemax subscription on Verizon FiOS, so thought I would watch a little anyhow because I usually like stuff Michelle Pfeiffer and Tracey Ullman are in. I was glad to see that the naysayers tastes are just very different from mine. I found it to be a delightful and witty film. However, I agree that as romantic comedy goes, the protagonists seem only like two attractive people who appreciate each other's professional talents. There is no sizzle. The films strengths strengths lie elsewhere.I don't like the title, however. Although the story line is about an older woman/younger man affair, I thought that other themes were stronger and more interesting. I'm thinking mainly about the film's commentary on the older generation trying to look and act younger. The opening credits are superimposed on photos of plastic surgery. Also, they could have used a title reflective of the conflict between scripted and reality TV. Or perhaps reflective of the need for writers to stay in touch with the youth culture to which the network is trying to appeal.Also, I thought the opening scene (the camera flying over forest, sea and tropical paradise) was too long simply to introduce Mother Nature (Tracey Ullman). It didn't really fit the movie and is something that I've seen as intros to too many other movies recently. But I did think that Mother Nature was a nice contrivance to allow the author to comment on destruction of natural ways as well as to give Rose (Michelle Pfeiffer)

Don't waste your time with this dud! With Michelle Pfeiffer and Jon Lovitz as perhaps the most childish, inane parents on screen since "The Brady Bunch". Michelle Pfeiffer's character is thoroughly unlikeable and Paul Rudd's character is a complete idiot!!!! The only character with any redeemable qualities is Izzy, as played by the radiant Saoirse Ronan, and even her precociousness grates after a while. There seems to be a trend lately of portraying the leads in any rom-com as either a bitch, or an idiot, as if Hollywood thinks that these are only types of women who would pull a man, which is a bad, bad message. Michelle Pfeiffer portrays a kidult who tries to be a 'friend' to her daughter, playing Barbies and jumping on beds and indulging in food fights. She also dresses like a fourteen year old. What gives???? Amy Heckerling has produced some good movies, but THIS is NOT one of them!