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Well this won't be the sleeper hit of the season, it's no "Sleepless in Seattle". It's a pretty good film tho with a few exceptions.
Kate is a modern girl who is very business driven, not very lucky in love. Meg Ryan always manages to pull these roles off - but she's beginning to essentially be the same "girl" in every romantic-comedy. Her upstairs neighbor Stuart (Liev) is her ex-boyfriend, and somehow the audience must believe that he has basically spent his life searching for the rip in time. I still wasn't sure in the end what he did for a living, but he managed to find a portal in time that led back to the year 1876, where he is snapping pictures and raising such a curiosity out of Duke Leopold, his great-great grandfather, that the duke follows him back through the porthol into present day. Now the film didn't delve into the details of how this portal was found, maybe it's best we not know. Tho i'd rather he accidentally walked into the portal than how it played out. |
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Before we know it Kate and Leopold meet, she thinks he's a nut and we watch him go through the usual muck of discovering television and stereo and modern customs...with absolute shock. It's mildly amusing but we've seen it before. Stuart falls in an elevator shaft and ends up in the hospital where he is kept under psychiatric watch as he is thought to be crazy. Why his friends never rushed to his side is somewhat behond me. Kate's brother Charlie (Meyer) enters the equation, hanging out with Leopold. He's a sort of goofball with a good heart who can't seem to do or say the right thing around the ladies. Leo and Kate begin to have feelings for eachother, but Kate is not used to this type of affection. The kind where chivalry is involved, alot of politeness and manners and respect. He is a gentlemen, and this type of character will appeal to many women. Because as we see in Kate's real world of friends and her boss, women have to fight alot of sexism and put up with much more. Although when you think about it, men of those days pretty much saw their women as cattle...to serve them with children, care for the house, have no rights and die young. So I don't know if all that outward politeness would make up for the obvious lack of social equality. Women were to be seen, not heard. But it's nevertheless appealing to see a woman treated as a lady.
While kate is busy trying to achieve her dream by climbing the corperate ladder to find happiness, she ends up finding it elsewhere. And for anyone who cares, watching the woman yet again give up her life's happiness and achievements for love whilst the men give up nothing isn't good enough.The film is quite amusing in parts, while in others it lacks intelligence. I am really tiring of Meg Ryan taking on these roles, she should focus on grittier characters that challenge her acting abilities, but I guess she has to pay the bills. She's typecast as this character much too often; beautiful, career-minded, and unlucky in love. (Only her previous films gave her a better hairstyle than this one.) Hugh Jackman is a delight, he's not just a handsome face one might have placed in this role, but really carried the film. He embodied the characteristics I'd expect to find in this role and gives a really fine performance. (so far from the character I remember him in X-men) It's no wonder he got a Golden Globe Nomination for this role, he turned what could have easily been an all around cheese-fest of romantic goo into a film enriched with some quality acting...while Ryan just tries to be adorable and quirky. I expect to see more of Jackman in the future.
In the end I was only left with one sickening thought as the credits rolled.
SCARY THOUGHTS AHEAD -------->>
Movie Tagline: "If they lived in the same Century they'd be perfect for eachother.
Tagline should have been: "If they weren't related they'd be perfect for eachother."
What the hell where the filmmakers thinking when they decided to make Leopold a direct relation of Stuart? I wondered if i was the only one in the theater who picked up on this little grotesque revelation as the credits rolled. Basically Kate ends up going back in time to live with Leopold. So with that obvious fact, that would make Stuart (her once long-term lover) her great-great grandson. Ahhh! (although it's recently come to my attention that this tiny detail of the story has since been altered...but still i'm scarred for life) I hear the DVD offers both versions. Be afraid.
And maybe it's me, I know many would do anything for finding that perfect soulmate. But how could a modern woman like Kate (so independent minded and career driven) have survived in the late 1800's, when women still struggled for equality, hardly had any decent jobs, and died in their 40's or younger from things as simple as appendicitis and more often than not...childbirth? Why must she have to sacrifice so much and he so little? What kind of life is that? Maybe we've grown too accustomed to accepting the "riding off into the sunset" cliche without every questioning "But what next?" |
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