Wendy's Films of 2010 #35: Definitely, Maybe (2008)

I had to find a movie that I wanted to watch, that I hadn't seen before, and that my mom would enjoy. So I came up with Definitely, Maybe. It's pretty standard for a romantic comedy, every moment is pretty predictable and the story has a nice tidy ending. Abigail Breslin adds a touch of interest in this movie by taking the story out of the simple "boy meets girl" premise. She plays Ryan Reynolds' daughter, curious about the way he met her mother and unhappy because they're about to get divorced. Reynolds cooks up the idea to tell her the story of all three relationships he's had in his life, giving each woman a new name and making Breslin guess who her mother is. It's an interesting idea, and the one that gave me the vaguest desire to see the film. Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher are far more charismatic than Elizabeth Banks, and provide most of the more amusing parts of the film. Overall it's nothing special, the acting is fine, the story is fine - it's a nice movie to watch if you're in the right mood.

To go: 321 days, 330 films.

Wendy's Films of 2010 #28: No Reservations (2007)

Don't confuse this with the television series. They might both be about food, but Catherine Zeta Jones is nothing like Anthony Bourdain. For one, I doubt she can cook; her zeal in the kitchen rests in wiping the outside of plates and carefully dotting them with sauce.

I was speaking with my coworker Maggie earlier today, and she remarked that No Reservations seems like two separate films packed into one, and I completely agree. The first is the story of a young girl (Abigail Breslin) who loses her mother in a tragic car accident, and the aunt (Zeta Jones) who tries to console and create a new home for her. The second is a romantic comedy about a serious chef, played by Zeta Jones, who has to open her heart and allow a man (Aaron Eckhart) to sweep her off her feet. I think the combination of these two saved the film from becoming a run-of-the-mill romcom with no substance. Instead, it is a romantic comedy drama with a bit of substance. It ended how I expected it would, and it followed every obvious cue made previously in the narrative. The chemistry between Breslin and Eckhart was probably stronger than that between he and Zeta Jones (in a completely platonic way of course). It's a fine film to escape into, but nothing particularly special.