Sweet November Review
by Berge Garabedian (joblo AT joblo DOT com)February 18th, 2001
SWEET NOVEMBER
RATING: 6.5/10 --> So-so
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PLOT:
A work-obsessed man gets picked up by a life-obsessed woman, who wants to help him get more out of his existence on earth. Within a day, she asks him to move in with her, so that she could begin her "therapy" on him. The man resists at first, but ultimately falls for the woman's endearing persistence. Over time, the two begin to like each other more and then, well....aaaaaah.
CRITIQUE:
A movie that starts off sappy and original, but ultimately turns sappy and predictable. And what a shame, too! Finally, a "romantic drama" with a certain touch of creativity (see plot line above), and there they go ruining it again with yet another typical ending. Don't worry ya'll, I won't be giving anything away here, but needless to say, me not too impressed with this film's finale. But let's discuss the positives first. I liked the story of this film. Here's a guy, who kinda reminded me of someone I know (yeah okay, it's me!), who basically needs a kick in the head to wake him out of his redundant, and passionless, routine (okay, joblo.com is a blast for me, but working 24/7 on it, is a little, well...obsessive, no?). And here's a girl, who for some reason or another, wants to help him do that. But wait...she only wants him around for a month, and she does this with all guys, but switches to a new guy, every month! Hmmmm, that's strange...yet somehow intriguing. And as the story goes, we go with them, as both performers, Charlize and Keanu, both retain our general attention, if not entirely because of their great looks and decent showings. Mind you, it's not like we haven't seen Charlize do the cutey-pie thing before, but I gotta prop it up to Keanu this year. First, THE GIFT and now a romantic drama. You go, you bastard...stretch those acting muscles (for the record, he doesn't entirely convince as his character in this movie, but most of the time, he's on!). I was especially impressed with his convincing moments as the "big brother" type to a young boy. Maybe he should try his hand at being a "dadda" in his next flick. But I digress.
Add to all that, a romantic soundtrack, a "gay" best friend, a montage of the "good moments" in the relationship, and some general cutesy stuff, mix it altogether...and then...ahhh, and then...poof, it all goes to heck! At the one hour mark of this film, I suddenly knew EXACTLY how this film was suddenly going to end, and God knows...I was not happy about it! Try as I might, I attempted to keep my eyes focused on the screen, despite knowing the almost line-by-line denouement of the rest of the movie, but alas, t'was not to be. Ultimately, I reached over to hold the hand of my better half, who had by this point, broken down into a massive wailing session, and the rest as they say...is history! Granted, I can't blow off an entire film simply because of its crap-infested ending, but what's a man to do? I finally see a "chick flick" (and I doubt anybody will qualify this film as anything but) that actually keeps me interested for the first hour, with some nice moments, two gorgeous stars, a lead male character that I could sadly identify with, and blegh...they gotta do what they gotta do! Anyway, I would still suggest you see this film if your lady friend wants to see it (since I have seen much worse!), or if you just wanna sneak into a fluffy existential romance for the masses, starring two very good-looking people, but otherwise, skip this entire hanky-job, and hope for better the next time around. A sad "whoa" goes out to this one.
Where's JoBlo coming from?
At First Sight (7/10) - Autumn in NY (5.5/10) - Bounce (7.5/10) - Family Man (7.5/10) - Leaving Las Vegas (9/10) - Romeo & Juliet (7/10) - When Harry Met Sally (10/10)
Review Date: February 12, 2001
Director: Pat O'Connor
Writer: Kurt Voelker
Producers: Elliot Kastner and Steven Reuther
Actors: Keanu Reeves as Nelson
Charlize Theron as Sara
Jason Isaacs as Chad
Genre: Romantic Drama
Year of Release: 2001
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(c) 2001 Berge Garabedian
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