A relationship with a video store clerk is an important thing when you like to watch movies. He can let you have Star Wars III the weekend before its due to hit the shelves, or he can waive the late fee, or unofficially give you free rentals because you've rented over 1000 movies from him.
Most importantly, when you can't decide what to watch, he can tell you what he thinks, and make a few suggestions. If you have a good relationship, he'll put more thought into it, and you'll know better how your tastes and his intersect. This happened to me last night.
So my video go-to guy suggested, in a bold and shocking move, In Her Shoes, which at first glance is nothing but a sappy chick-flick that even my Girlfriend balked at. He insisted, pointing out that the director, Curtis Hanson, had also made Wonderboys (but forgetting to mention L.A. Confidential, for some reason). He described its merits, and eventually convinced me and my Girlfriend.
And so I watched In Her Shoes, best described as a character driven drama with some funny moments. It was very good, and my faith in the Video Guy is renewed. This movie is probably the first time I ever liked Cameron Diaz in a movie. Toni Collette is great, as is Shirley MacLaine. The rest of the supporting cast is strong. While there is no real umph behind the visuals, the movie doesn't really suffer from it, in as much as the focus is character, not visual.
My only reservation about this movie is that it comes on a little strong by times. It achieves levels of saccharine sweetness that jar the overall mood of the movie. The overt sentimentality, while awfully effective (barely a dry eye in the house), leaves a bad aftertaste. The same, I think can be said of a few comedic moments, that while funny, seem to stand out as maybe not part of the right movie. I'm glad I didn't watch it by myself, but as a couple movie, go for it.
I'm planning a overhaul of my rating system, given that I'm not sure about the efficacity of the old one. In the old system, I think this movie would be a 3.75, maybe a 4 at a stretch, outta 5. My Girlfriend loved it.
Most importantly, when you can't decide what to watch, he can tell you what he thinks, and make a few suggestions. If you have a good relationship, he'll put more thought into it, and you'll know better how your tastes and his intersect. This happened to me last night.
So my video go-to guy suggested, in a bold and shocking move, In Her Shoes, which at first glance is nothing but a sappy chick-flick that even my Girlfriend balked at. He insisted, pointing out that the director, Curtis Hanson, had also made Wonderboys (but forgetting to mention L.A. Confidential, for some reason). He described its merits, and eventually convinced me and my Girlfriend.
And so I watched In Her Shoes, best described as a character driven drama with some funny moments. It was very good, and my faith in the Video Guy is renewed. This movie is probably the first time I ever liked Cameron Diaz in a movie. Toni Collette is great, as is Shirley MacLaine. The rest of the supporting cast is strong. While there is no real umph behind the visuals, the movie doesn't really suffer from it, in as much as the focus is character, not visual.
My only reservation about this movie is that it comes on a little strong by times. It achieves levels of saccharine sweetness that jar the overall mood of the movie. The overt sentimentality, while awfully effective (barely a dry eye in the house), leaves a bad aftertaste. The same, I think can be said of a few comedic moments, that while funny, seem to stand out as maybe not part of the right movie. I'm glad I didn't watch it by myself, but as a couple movie, go for it.
I'm planning a overhaul of my rating system, given that I'm not sure about the efficacity of the old one. In the old system, I think this movie would be a 3.75, maybe a 4 at a stretch, outta 5. My Girlfriend loved it.