Rating: Summary: Disappointing romantic comedy Review: After hearing a lot of good reviews about this movie, I expected it to at least be a somewhat entertaining chick flick. Although I laughed several times at some of Jane's theories about men, there wasn't enough comedy to keep me interested. Plus, the romantic parts were below average and the ending was disgustingly sappy. Both of the men in this movie were slimeballs (one was cheating on his girlfriend with Jane, the other slept with a different girl each night). There are a few redeeming qualities; for instance, Ashley Judd is a decent actress-she seems more down to earth than many other actresses out there. However, there is little that can save this movie-the plot is cliche and not very funny. The DVD also is lacking when it comes to extra features-it only has a few lame extended scenes and an alternate ending that is even mushier than the original ending. If you want a good romantic comedy, try Bridget Jones Diary, You Got Mail or My Best Friends Wedding. Skip this one.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful Romantic Movie Review: This movie was a wonderful romantic movie, but also had its funny parts. Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman are great together. This is a wonderful movie if you are into romantic movies. Hugh Jackman was adorable in this movie.
Rating: Summary: 3.5 stars, really - cute, but not fabulous Review: I truly didn't expect to like this film as much as I did - the previews made it look like very bland, formulaic drek. And, while it was formulaic, the performances turned in by Judd and Jackman made it into a rather charming story. There are some amusing little quirks in the style of the film, captions before certain "chapters," little fantasy flashes and whatnot, that I really enjoyed. I also liked the chemistry between Jackman and Judd, which wasn't melt-the-screen hot, but still worked very well.Ashley Judd has turned into a fine actress. One scene crystalized this for me - she is crying on the bed, and Jackman is sitting next to her, trying to comfort her. He says something particularly touching, and Judd completely breaks down into heart-wrenching sobs, and doesn't try to make it look "pretty," doesn't try to cover her angst-twisted face with her hands like so many actresses do - she honestly looks like she has a heart broken into a zillion pieces, and conveys the pain of her character's experience exceptionally well. Hugh Jackman, while drop-dead gorgeous and indeed talented as well, needs to work a bit on his "tender" scenes - he occasionally went a bit over the top with the doe-eyed goofy thing, much like Leonardo DiCaprio did in "Titantic" (but let's not go there, shall we?) Still, I enjoyed his performance overall, and he played a very believable Eddie. The story is entirely predictable, but still fun to watch. A bit of a chick flick, perhaps, but good for anyone who likes romantic comedies.
Rating: Summary: Worth seeing... Review: Some romantic comedies can be silly, plotless attempt at just getting big names on screen (examples: The Wedding Planner, Simply Irresistable). But this film is considerably better as it is funny, cute without trying to be, and humanizes the characters. It also used the Bridget Jones formula of having two guys so that it doesn't become too obvious. The only real flaw in here was (and you're all gonna throw tomatoes at me for saying this) the sexism. I guess it's just a characteristic of the Chick Flick genre that men are portrayed as either unstable (Greg Kinnear's character) or womanizing (Hugh Jackman's). I think this film just took that male sexism to an extreme with the New Cow Theory. Ashley Judd gives a soliliquy at the end about how it's not accurate and I respect that, but still, if the protaganist was male and he made an animalistic theory about women, Gloria Steinem would jump on it faster than you can say "Betty Friedan". Still, if you're a guy who has tolerance for this sexist portrayl we get in Chick Flicks, go watch it.
Rating: Summary: A good chick flick! Review: I just watched this and what a nice surprise! The actors in this are terrific. Ashley Judd was made for movies like this. She could give Meg Ryan a run for her money in romantic comedies. Greg Kinnear was excellent and I really enjoyed Hugh Jackman. The story wasn't very unique but it was great fun to watch. A classic love triangle with some interesting twists and turns. The roommate situation between Judd and Jackman really helps develop the romance between their characters. The ending was as expected but that was just fine with me! This movie is great romantic movie to watch on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a good friend. Have fun.
Rating: Summary: This is a little to bland for my taste Review: Someone Like You is a romantic comedy that tries to be innovative but winds up being about as bland as they come. This doesn't mean that it's an unpleasant way to spend an evening. It means it's forgettable. It is like one of those people you meet at a party who is nice enough to be around but whose face you can't remember the next day. Romantic comedy is a tricky genre. If you stick closely to the formula, you risk making a totally uninspired movie. If you tinker too much with the recipe, you risk losing the audience because it is a subject where people tend to want to see the same story over and over again, only slightly differently each time. Occasionally, there's a successful variation, as in 1997's delightful romp, My Best Friend's Wedding, where girl met boy, girl lost boy, girl tried everything to get boy back but lost him anyway. Such movies don't endanger the formula, though, because we almost always want the couple to wind up together. Someone Like You's device is the old love triangle. Jane [Ashley Judd] works for a New York TV talk show. The show is about to go national, and Jane's one of the people responsible for making this transition a success. She's a girl who's looking for a long term relationship, and she is appalled by Eddie [Hugh Jackman], a coworker who makes conquest after conquest with female members of the staff. She seems to be the lone holdout. Ray [Greg Kinnear] arrives as the show's new producer. He seems so gentle and understanding, and Jane is instantly attracted to him. Soon, they begin a serious affair and decided to move in together. Just as Jane is about to move out of her apartment, Ray gets cold feet. Angry and hurt, Jane impulsively agrees to move in with the notorious Eddie, hoping to have her revenge on Ray. Jane and Eddie vow to be platonic with each other. Will Jane get Ray back? Or will Eddie show her he has another side to him, one that's much more appealing? There is a subplot in the movie that might have seemed hilarious on paper. It doesn't translate well to the screen. While watching TV documentaries about the mating habits of various mammals, Jane learns that a bull will not mate with a cow he's already done it with. He needs a new cow. In one of the great leaps for sociology and anthropology, Jane concludes that this behavior explains why men cannot be faithful. Using a pen name, she writes about it in a column for a magazine, and, this being a movie, she's syndicated in three hundred newspapers a week later. This causes a lot of problems for Jane. It's also trouble for the audience because the idea is so fundamentally weak. If this is the reason men can't be faithful, then it's a natural phenomenon, so why are we still worrying about it? As has often the case in recent movies of this type, a supporting role steals the show. Ellen Barkin plays Diane Roberts, the host of the talk show. She's ambitious, self-centered and wise. She's also very funny and a lot more interesting than the main characters. Her performance alone is worth giving She's the One a look.
Rating: Summary: An endearing romantic comedy... Review: Star quality and old-fashioned sex-appeal are the highlights of Someone Like You, a fairly predictable romantic comedy than nonetheless tugs at the heartstrings with surprising effectiveness. Ashley Judd is Jane, a talent-booker for a talk show host who has her heart broken by the show's producer (Greg Kinnear). To spite her ex, Jane moves in with Eddie (Hugh Jackman) another staffer who needs a roommate. The results, of course, are predictable. We all know that Jane and Eddie are bound for romance, but the screen-sizzle between Judd and Jackman is more than worth it. Also worth the price are the special features on the DVD, which include an alternate ending which, thankfully, was not used. While Someone Like You won't win any points for originality, it does score big-time for romance and chuckles. While it's definitely not Oscar-quality, it is probably worth owning, especially for the occasional romantic date night.
Rating: Summary: This movie is terrible. Review: Someone Like You is an example of a truly horrible movie. The movie is based on a premise that men are like bulls and must move from woman to woman just as bulls move from cow to cow, never staying with the same one. The movie is structured around this theme. The great cast features Ashley Judd as Jane, the woman behind the bull and cow theory. She is jilted by Ray (Greg Kinnear), who moves onto another "cow." She moves in with Eddie ("Hugh Jackman") for financial reasons. She builds her theory around Eddie. Eddie sleeps with and discards women all the time as if they mean nothing to him. In the end Jane and Eddie get together and pronounce they love each other. This movie is horrible because of Eddie. Actually the writers are to blame. It is established early on that Eddie is a womanizer. Then the movie hints at the reason behind this, showing him encountering his old girlfriend at a yoga class. We sense they have a history and that this may have something to do with why Eddie is the way he is. But we never find out why Eddie can't committ to a relationship. Then with a worthless plot point about a miscarriage, Jane supposedly realizes that men aren't the problem, she is. She throws herself at Eddie and we are left wondering why? He's just going to use her like all of the other women he has. This movie needed to show some depth to the characters. Most of this movie made no sense because the characters did some of the dumbest things. Besides, if you do watch this movie, you'll realize how stupid that whole bull and cow theory is. A movie based on a stupid premise cannot be saved when that premise is rejected. How can you take a woman like Jane seriously if she believes all men everywhere are like bulls.
Rating: Summary: Good adaptation from the book. Predictable but funny. Review: This is a good adaption of the book-- and I don't say that very often. The ending is slightly different from the book, but it didn't detract from the story. Standard "chick flick" plot-- boy meets girl, boy chases girl, girl falls in love even though he's already got a girlfriend but thinks she'll be different, boy gets scared and runs away, girl goes nuts trying to figure out what happened. Okay, there is nothing really surprising about this movie, it just has a really humourous twist because of the cow-mating comparisons. After getting dumped, Jane come across an article about bulls that won't mate with a cow it has already mated with, even if disguised. This sets her off on a cruisade to do what no woman has ever done before-- figure out men.
Rating: Summary: Super Romantic Comedy! Review: Made me laugh more than once. A fantastic movie to get you into high spirits, and Hugh Jackman is fine as ever.
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