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I'm With Lucy

I'm With Lucy

List Price: $14.95
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A charming romantic comedy with a grand romantic gesture
Review: "I'm With Lucy" is not a great romantic comedy but I swear it is worth watching a lot more than many of the movies in this genre that I have seen in recent years with bigger stars (e.g., "Maid in Manhattan"). In fact, this 2002 film has exactly what was missing in the last romantic comedy I say, "Chasing Liberty," which was a grand romantic gesture. The Mandy Moore film sets up the situation for the grand romantic gesture but fails to deliver. Meanwhile, this film starring Monica Potter not only has a pretty great grand romantic gesture, it actually comes as something of a surprise in the film.

The story first time screenwriter Eric Pomerance has to tell is about Lucy, who is about to get married when we first meet her. We learn that after being dumped by her boyfriend under circumstances that would send most young women to hide under their covers for at least a year, Lucy is set up with five blind dates over the course of that year by her sister. One of these five, we are told, will end up marrying Lucy and obviously we are supposed to see if we can figure out who is Mr. Right before our heroine does.

We are introduced to the five blind dates in quick succession, which sets up the logic of the film as we cycle through Lucy's five choices again and again. First, there is Doug (John Hannah), a recently divorced entomologist. He is simple and sincere but seems a bit intimidated by the train wreck that is Lucy's life. Second is the steamy playwright Gabriel (Gael GarcĂ­a Bernal), who is sexy as all get out and has a stream going through his apartment. Third is Bobby (Anthony LaPaglia) an ex-Jock who cannot believe that Lucy (a) does not know who he is and (b) refuses his moves. Fourth is Luke (David Boreanaz WITH A TAN!) a physical therapist who has plenty of other women interested in him if Lucy is not interested. Finally there is Barry (Henry Thomas), a charming computer nerd.

It takes a while for this movie to really get rolling because the storytelling gimmick gets in the way at the beginning. All five of the blind dates are introduced as disasters so it is somewhat surprising that any of them get to the level where marriage is a possibility. But part of the charm of Pomerance's story is that even the guy who makes the worst first impression might actually be a worthwhile human being. Of course the other possibility, that some of these guys might not really be as great as they seem, comes into play as well. You may have a favorite early on, but it is hard to really declare any of these guys out of the running, until the grand romantic gestures has you declaring game, set, match (and even then...).

The jumping around does not always work, mainly to the detriment of our getting to really know Lucy herself until the last half of the film, but there are enough cuts that work to the advantage of "I'm With Lucy" to make it a worthwhile gimmick on balance. More importantly, the film has a payoff that exceeds the set up, which is rare enough in contemporary romantic comedies to make it something to cherish.

Final Note: I never really heard of this film before and like many people only stumbled across it because David Boreanaz (WITH A TAN!) is in it. But I am not surprised that "I'm With Lucy" was under the radar because the trailer for this film is one of the worst I have ever seen. If I had seen the trailer first I would have probably passed on this film, even with the presence of the actor formally known as Angel. But that would be a mistake because this one is definitely worth a look.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So much better than most of the movies released this summer
Review: A modern, upbeat romantic comedy that had my husband and myself laughing and thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Beautifully directed and acted with a light, human touch sadly missing from many films these days. Hilarious dialogue as Lucy navigates through a series of blind dates with a wide assortment of eligible bachelors. Reading the other reviews on this site, I'm surprised that others failed to mention how FUNNY this movie is. We and our friends all loved it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: There is a good reason to pay attention to this DVD
Review: and that reason is the presence of Gael Garcia Bernal in one of his rare English-speaking roles. I'M WITH LUCY is a pleasant enough bit of fluff about a young woman recovering from love lost, trying to cope with five different blind dates arranged by her friends to bouy her spirits. Yes she ends up marrying one of them, but it is the play of courtship dances and dilemmas that brings what little originality to the film that exists. Monica Potter is attractive and a good actresss who needs a good director to keep her focused: there is a feeling that this role was written with a gene pool of Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts in mind. The men's roles are fairly well fleshed out by such fine actors as Anthony LaPaglia, Henry Thomas, and John Hannah.

But the real reason to pay attention to this movie is the cameo appearance by Gael Garcia Bernal, one of the brightest lights to hit the screen in years. Known for his Spanish speaking roles in AMORES PERROS, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, and EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO Bernal has that illuminating presence, naturally sensuous good looks, and a subtlety to his acting that makes his every appearance on the screen a little jewel of a moment. In a year or two when he is a major international star you will be pleased that you got this glimpse of his special qualities in this English introduction. Bernal gets 5 stars, the film - 3.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Much better than I expected......
Review: I bought this DVD on a lark. I was familiar with Monica Potter and liked her in "The Very Thought of You" (another fun romantic comedy starring Joseph Fiennes and Rufus Sewell) but didn't really know much about this movie or heard much about it. This was actually much better and more enjoyable than I expected.

The premise is pretty clever - Lucy gets dumped by her boyfriend and her best friends set her up on blind dates. Flash forward to the present where we see Lucy getting ready for her wedding. We know she ends up with someone in the end. So we see flashbacks as her 5 dates unfold and we get to guess who she ends up with. On the surface all the dates look pretty hopeless (no chemistry, nothing in common, etc) but as the dates progress we find a couple of guys who may not be so bad after all. It's a nice romantic comedy with a sweet satisfying ending.

I would also suggest checking out "The Very Thought of You" as another movie that is fun and romantic. It is very much in the tone of movies like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Serendipity." If you like these, then check this DVD/video out.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Much better than I expected......
Review: I bought this DVD on a lark. I was familiar with Monica Potter and liked her in "The Very Thought of You" (another fun romantic comedy starring Joseph Fiennes and Rufus Sewell) but didn't really know much about this movie or heard much about it. This was actually much better and more enjoyable than I expected.

The premise is pretty clever - Lucy gets dumped by her boyfriend and her best friends set her up on blind dates. Flash forward to the present where we see Lucy getting ready for her wedding. We know she ends up with someone in the end. So we see flashbacks as her 5 dates unfold and we get to guess who she ends up with. On the surface all the dates look pretty hopeless (no chemistry, nothing in common, etc) but as the dates progress we find a couple of guys who may not be so bad after all. It's a nice romantic comedy with a sweet satisfying ending.

I would also suggest checking out "The Very Thought of You" as another movie that is fun and romantic. It is very much in the tone of movies like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Serendipity." If you like these, then check this DVD/video out.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice idea, but needs more substance...
Review: I bought this movie on the strength of seeing Gael Garcia Bernal in the cast list. Gael Garcia Bernal, for those not familiar with him, is an amazing (and very sexy) Mexican actor who is in the wonderful film "Amores Perros." His strong and really amusing performance in this film was the thing I liked best about this movie, and he is only in a couple of scenes. More screen time with him and John Hannah would have been great as they flit on screen and off too quickly and without much explanation. Monica Potter is lovely and believable. David Boreanaz is funny as an obsessive orthopedist who likes Lucy, but can't seem to keep his eyes (and hands) off other women while thinking some things about Lucy would be better if only changed 'one little bit.' He likes Lucy, but doesn't like her for her. Henry Thomas was a likeable character but seemed too besotted too quickly. At times I felt the chemistry between him and Lucy was manufactured, though they were charming-looking together on screen. The film jumps all over the place and at one point you are whisked from cold, wintry New York to sunny Miami (while the caption on the screen had just said "January") without any introduction into why Lucy is there when she just fell into the snow drunk in the previous scene. The film takes on too much too quickly, and at 97 minutes seems too short. It would have been great if 20 minutes or so were to have been added to the film to flesh out some of the relationships and encounters. Anthony La Paglia is too stereotypical of a "Guido" type and I found his screen presence annoying. The scene where Lucy runs into her parents while on her first date with Henry Thomas and is forced into going to her parents' apartment to watch home movies of her as a kid makes for a very funny and classic scene. If you like David Boreanaz or Gael Garcia Bernal you will not be disappointed, but note that David Boreanaz's character in "I'm with Lucy" is nothing like "Angel." I would compare this to "Serendipity" or "The Very Thought of You," as this is very similar territory and familiar material. It's funny and entertaining with great moments and decent performances, but left me feeling like it was all appetizer and no entree.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Should be "I'm with stupid"
Review: I like Monica Potter, really I do, she's kinda charming and cute, but this movie sucked real bad. Sorry about the bad english, but it's hard to come up with anything nice to say.

I personally would not go near Lucy, she is so self absorbed and seems to think she has to go to bed with anything that moves. Ladies, there is a word for those who "do it" on first dates but amazon won't let me use it. Try being chaste, it's far more attractive. There is no way this dumb chick would have so many intelligent guys' after her as well.

Bad film, bad acting, bad screenplay, bad music, waste of $2.75 I wasted to rent this dreck.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: title of review
Review: I saw this movie in the video store, and judging it by it's slick professional looking cover, figured it would at least be a competent romantic comedy and a good way to kill an hour and a half. Well I probably shouldn't have judged it by it's cover. Visually the movie looks good, but the script is really low calibre, very "indie film", very "student film", very "film festival film". Not that that has to be a bad thing, but personally I don't like those kind of movies, so I think it would be helpful to let people like me know what to expect.
All the guys Lucy dates, and her relationships with them, are so boring that it's impossible to care who she ends up with. And some of the treatment she endures from these guys is just ridiculous.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: GREAT ROMANTIC COMEDY
Review: I thought this movie was great! Alot better than other movies of this genre that had a wide release. Monica Potter was great and VERY funny! This movie was funny, sweet, silly and definitely ROMANTIC. The funny lessons of love dating and marriage all come through with wonderful performances from Monica Potter, and the great actors that play her five dates.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very cute and loved the individual stories
Review: I wanted a romantic, cute movie and this was it. It was perfect. It told many stories on Lucy's love life and how she ended up meeting the perfect guy for her. Loved it!


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