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Down with Love (Full Screen Edition)

Down with Love (Full Screen Edition)

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Didn't like It
Review: I didn't like Down with Love. The plot to me was to much like "How to lose a Guy in 10 Days."

I did like the acting in the movie though from our two stars. Renee and Ewan are both great actors and are both stars in there perspective countries.

This is more a chick flick. If thats your kind of movie you'll probaly like it. I just thought it resembled "How to Lose" to much and I could never get intersted. I'd watch this movie again, I just wouldn't buy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: fun!
Review: Okay, I am rating this 5 stars in its own right. Not against "Shawshank Redemption" or anything in an entirely other genre. Obviously I can't clasify this movie as unique (hi, it is keeping in the spirit of older movies such as "Pillow Talk"). However, it certainly is different in style for these days. It is a fun and satisfying viewing for sure. The performances are just the right amount of camp. This is a movie to pop in when looking for nothing more than a light good time. Who couldn't use that? If nothing else, the bright sets and costumes are worth staring at. They are art in themselves. There is a strong supporting cast, David Hyde Pierce always good for a laugh. Then there's Ewan, well, anyone that has seen some of his other off-beat works, you know he can pull this off very very well. I don't own this dvd as of yet (seeing that the street date isn't up yet) but the extras look better than the normal set of previews and some docu that is really just the actors between takes telling you the plot of the movie... as if you didn't just watch it. A lot of people I know didn't go to see this in the theater because they figured it looked shallow and silly. Of course it's silly, that is part of the fun. A little break from the norm. As for the simple shallowness of this movie... these same people probably went to see "Terminator 3" was that deep and profound? Yeah, okay then. ;) At any rate, I will stop my ramble. Just felt that this movie could use some boosts of support because it is worth a viewing and was under-valued in the theater. Also *and this is off the subject*, if you are a fan of well made off beat movies and dvds that have solid supplement... check out "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Something's amiss
Review: Renee Zellwegger & Ewan McGregor are 2 great artists having been in an 'era-musical' movie (Chicago & Moulin Rouge), & would possibly have explained why they were chosen for this 'periodic' re-make.

Being set in an early 60's period, the movie both had the look, feel & sound of it. The setting, the costumes, the way the actors delivered their dialogues, the way they seemed to exaggerate their acting (where coy became over-actingly coy)- were all reminiscent of the old 60's movies. Even the light plot, including the seemingly complicated 'twist' & how it was revealed, were typical & appropriate for the genre.

Having succeeded in what they were portraying, I should give them 5 stars. But somehow,something felt amiss --- quite bland --- so a star less. Down With Love should not be compared though with other contemporary romantic comedies, as obviously this is meant to be characterized in a particular time frame.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Makes You Miss Rock and Doris
Review: On the plus side: The costumes and decor are just the right side of kitsch; it will make fans of the singer on the soundtrack, Michael Buble'; and David Hyde-Pierce shows why he's this generation's Tony Randall (and you can easily compare, since Tony has a cameo).
Not so good: The writers couldn't decide if they were doing a remake or a send-up; not surprisingly, what used to pass as sly sexual innuendo is now simply vulgar; worst of all, the stars aren't up to the originals. Rene'e doesn't have anything like Bridget Jones to chew on here, and Ewen reminds us that Rock Hudson -- if he was no Cary Grant -- at least had the humorous heft to make this sort of thing credible and fun. Too bad. It was a bright idea.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Homage to the classic bedroom comedies, but not a classic
Review: "Down With Love", starring Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zellweger, is a parody of/homage to the '60s bedroom comedies made famous by Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

Set in a very stylized 1962 New York City, this movie introduces Zellweger as Barbara Novak, a female author in a male-dominated publishing world, and MacGregor as Catcher Block, the playboy journalist who brushes her off. As soon as Novak's book, a tome that suggests women avoid falling in love in order to achieve equality with men, hits the best seller list, Block hatches a plot to induce Novak to fall in love with him so that he can write an article about her hypocrisy to her own theories. Block poses as Zip Martin, a naive and gentlemanly astronaut who proceeds to sweep Novak off her feet.

Because it's a comedy, this movie is full of setups and traps, lying and general situational madcappery, as well as some plot twists. Although it's set in and modeled after the '60s, "Down With Love" is a thoroughly modern film; what would have been hinted at in a Doris Day movie is treated with a complete lack of all subtlety in this film. Double entendres, which were a trademark of the bedroom comedies of the '60s, are a little too brazen, which make the lines read like a campy James Bond flick instead of the more clever movie this one strives to be.

Performances by Ewan MacGregor and Renee Zellweger are solid, although they don't have the kind of electric chemistry the '60s comedies were famous for. With his hilarious performance as MacGregor's clueless editor, David Hyde Pierce absolutely steals the movie. The musical score, production design and costumes reinforce the '60s theme with a tongue-in-cheek playfulness, adding to the fun of the '60s setting. Another bonus was the musical number performed by MacGregor and Zellweger during the closing credits.

The whole package makes this an entertaining movie, but I wouldn't call Down With Love a classic. Just a copy of a classic.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Ladies man, man's man, man about town!
Review: I haven't laughed so loud in a film since My Big Fat Greek Wedding! Ewan McGreggor is sumptuous as the rogouish Catcher Block, and Renee Zellweger was suprisingly pert and light hearted in her role as a down-in-love-but-I-really-just-want-to-get-married kind of girl. This movie may appear to be just another 60's spoof but is sophisticated in its production, attention to detail, and the performances are sterling. Every head turn by the women and twinkle in Ewan McGreggor's eye is timed to perfection and my imagination was carried away for the whole movie. Of particular delight is the musical number by Ewan and Renee at the end. This is what entertainment is supposed to be about - going out and having a little fun. If you want serious dialogue and Oscar winning cinematography then by all means go and see The Last Samuri, but keep this one for when you are in a good mood and can really appreciate that its a fun, charming and entertaining film. I will definetly be buying this DVD for my collection.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: I loved Renee Zellweger in "Bridget Jone's Diary", and I thought this would be another great "chick flick", but I was very disappointed. This movie takes place in the 60's where women are expected to get married, stay at home, and raise their children. Zellweger's character, Novak, tries to change this by writing a book that tells women that they don't have to fall in love to be happy, all they need to do is eat chocolate in order to feel satisfied. Novak's book becomes a best seller, and the world is quickly turned upside down for awhile. Women begin sleeping around and the men are shocked. Novak then meets Catcher Block, the ultimate playboy, who pretends to be a shy and inexperienced guy in order to get closer to her. There is an unexpected twist at the end, which made me wonder why they had even made this silly story into a movie. Things at the end seem to go right back to how they were in the beginning. This movie seems contradictory and pointless. I was disappointed from the beginning, and the only reason I watched the entire film is because I was on a plane and it was the only thing playing.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Worth viewing for the costumes!
Review: This is a charming, nostalgic homage to the romantic comedies of the 50s and 60s, but enlivened with even more risque humour (for those who choose to 'listen in' to the ambiguity). It transports us effortlessly back to a simpler era, and gives our modern ethics a chance to both admire and castigate the beginnings of feminism.

The story isn't up to much (the cad gets his come-uppance from a smarter woman), and the flow is not always even (at times the pace slows to a crawl), but you'll be captured by the cleverly recreated decor, hair designs and costume fashions (this must be up for an Oscar in the New Year, surely). The soundtrack, while unobtrusive, is also a triumph.

Loads of fun - in a slightly goofy, forgetable kind of way!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Down With Love Sizzles!
Review: "Down With Love" is a great tribute to the fun, sexy Doris Day/Rock Hudson films of the 60's. Witty dialog, sharp wit and humor, and great acting by Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, David Hyde Pierce, and the rest of the supporting cast make this film fabulous. The chemistry between McGregor and Zellweger sizzles on the screen as do the technicolor delights in the costumes and sets of this retro film. The movie also boasts a wonderful soundtrack that enhances the romantic storyline. This is a must-see for all romantic movie buffs!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I'd hoped for something witty, clever -- especially after the McGregor's performance in "Moulin Rouge" and Zellweger's in "Chicago." But United Airlines was screening this film in-flight on my way home from a recent trip West -- and I'm glad someone else was footing the bill for both my flight and the screening. The first half was tolerable, but it quickly spiraled downhill -- both in terms of plot and performance. And would someone please quit typecasting David Hyde Pierce? The man has acting talent, and yet he's been stuck in Johnny-One-Note roles that mimic his romantically inept portrayal of Niles on "Frasier." The most enjoyable part of this film? The in-character duet McGregor and Zellweger perform over the closing credits.


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