Down With Love Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)May 23rd, 2003
Marginal Thumbs "Down with Love"
by Homer Yen
(c) 2003
"Down with Love" wonderfully evokes the spirit and giddy look of a hipper, if not simpler, time. The party-goers are Beatnik beautiful, the outfits scream of glamorous pinks and plaids, the atmosphere is festive, and the playful and jazzy orchestrations of the soundtrack could liven up any party. It takes place during a period just prior to the sexual revolution when men were clearly winning the battle of the sexes. Meanwhile, acts of sex and feelings surrounding love were distinct and separate. Well, at least they were for most men of the time and especially men like Catch Block (Ewan McGregor). He is a chauvinist whose good looks, poetic histrionics, and conniving thought process could woo just about any woman.
It's a slap in his face when a new book, "Down with Love," is released which threatens his way of life with extinction. Penned by the somewhat comely Barbara Novak (Renee Zellwegger), she preaches a few easy steps to strengthen women. Specifically, sex can be an a la carte event without the emotional attachment, chocolate is as good as love, and this kind of empowerment will allow women to actively achieve equality in the workplace. The book becomes a phenomenon and a must-have for every female. In more conservative countries like the Soviet Union women are smuggling copies within loaves of bread. Catch's plan is to find a way to confuse Barbara by setting a romantic trap for her. If she falls in and in love, he can denounce her.
One thing that we can appreciate of our two potential lovebirds is their unabashed willingness to immerse themselves in some very potentially embarrassing situations. They swagger, they chirp, they almost break out into song. Well, they both have the right kind of mindset as each one starred in recent ambitious musical productions, "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago." And during the end credits, they do sing a playful little number. However, it's odd that our two potential lovebirds never really charge up the screen with any kind of significant chemistry. The gamely walk the walk and talk the talk. But the engines that are supposed to drive their mutual attraction feel idle.
Meanwhile, there is potential for even zanier humor with the inclusion of two other people. One is Peter (David Hyde Pierce), who is Catch's friend. He has never been successful in relationships and is madly unconfident in an irresistibly neurotic kind of way. Hyde-Pierce actually provides most of the laughs with his insecure mannerisms.
He is infatuated with Vikki (Sarah Paulson), who happens to be Barbara's editor. For Catch and Peter to get what they want, there is a lot of duping and switching going on that culminate into some funny situations.
Unfortunately, as it makes its way into the final 30-minutes, most of us will stop tuning in to the film's own charisma and will wonder if there will be any kind of real payoff. "Down with Love" is a beautiful and bouncy homage to 60s-style romantic comedies. However, it suffers from the syndrome of 'large-package-in-beautiful-gift-wrap.' That is, imagine getting a big box the size of a printer for your birthday. However, when you open it up, you find a smaller box containing Godiva chocolates. There's nothing wrong with having chocolates. But then what was the point of the giant gift-wrapped box? Given all the effort expended on this cute production, in the end, it felt inexplicably vapid.
Grade: C
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 0 out of 3
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