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dakotajolong
Reviews
If Only (2004)
When romantic comedies are so rare, why make a romantic tragedy?
I suppose it's because it's easier to get tears than laughter from an audience. I construe that the writer thought the sad ending makes a better story. But not for this viewer. Especially when the boyfriend could be the winner of a Jude Law lookalike contest. The bit with the taxi driver had me flummoxed, too. Is he a sinister grim reaper, or a kindly fellow caught up in an unfortunate trick of fate? In one scene, a double reflection in the rear view mirror made the driver's smiling, toothy mouth appear in the middle of his forehead. Yipes! I turned the TV off, went to do the dishes, and returned in time for the denouement -- in which the boyfriend nobly gets into the car for the ride of doom (seeming, for a moment, to hesitate, knowing his probable fate). He's scared, but takes the hit for his love. I do congratulate Jennifer Love Hewitt on her generosity, playing opposite an actor who's prettier than she is. Let's hope Paul Nicholls gets lots more romantic roles.
Fluke (1995)
The dog's a great actor, but the movie's a waste of time.
Was this supposed to be a two-hankie family film, or a violent drama? The writers and producers apparently couldn't make up their minds. The cute "Milo & Otis" tone of early scenes yields to turgid, slow melodrama, a disturbing personality change in the dog, scenes of violence, and an extremely disappointing, sad ending. The photography, the music, all details including the acting -- specially by the dog or dogs in the title role -- were fine. I'll blame the writer. I regret having spent two hours of my life waiting for this movie, as shown on the Animal Planet cable channel, to reach its disappointing, sad ending. May I offer a suggestion? For a much more entertaining canine reincarnation tale, look for "Oh, Heavenly Dog," in which private eye Chevy Chase comes back to Earth as Benji. O.K., it has some violence, too, but it's lots more fun, and the filmmakers aren't trying to sucker tears out of the audience.
Music from Another Room (1998)
Laughs, love, Law:
I laughed through most of the first hour while admiring the beautiful faces of the two co-stars, rooting for those nice kids to get together, and enjoying the rapid-fire dialog and antics of the heroine's family members. I think the sister-with-the gun scenes are over the top and distracting, and the ending's a little weak, but the writing and acting are, mostly, topnotch. Jennifer Tilly is cast against type and does fine in the role, as does Jon Tenney as that stock character, the jilted fiancé. Romantic comedies are hard to come by. If you can skip the more sentimental scenes, it's a real find. And it's PG-13 -- no murders, explosions, or car chases.