- Rated PG-13
- Comedy
- 2010
- Buy the DVD
All photos © Paramount Famous Productions
Reviewed by Jason Newman
hen Upton Sinclair, author of the classic 1906 book “The Jungle” that revealed horrid labor and safety conditions in the meat industry, was asked about the book's effect on the American public, his reply proved the author's original intention of exposing corrupt and exploitative workplace practices rather than grossing out a nation of carnivores: "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach." Galt Niederhoffer's film based on her novel of the same name achieves similar, if more forgettable, results. It aims at the heart, and by accident hits you in the head. The story of a group of college friends reuniting for a wedding by two of their own attempts to pull emotional heartstrings, but ends up as a trite mediation on love and loss.
Lila (Anna Paquin) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) are an engaged couple putting the finishing touches on their upcoming wedding. Lila met Tom while he was dating Lila's best friend Laura (Katie Holmes), eventually stealing Tom away after he and Laura broke up. But like most frienemy relationships, Lila and Laura are still close enough that Laura is Lila's maid of honor – which, considering Laura never stopped loving Tom, is as awkward as it sounds. Along for the ride are couples Jake (Adam Brody) and Weesie (Rebecca Lawrence) and Pete (Jeremy Strong) and Tripler (Malin Akerman). While Weesie and Tripler are diametric opposites (the former a conservative goody-goody, the latter a coke-sniffing strumpet), the main difference between the male co-stars, as best as I could tell, is Brody's curlier set of hair.
The action all takes place the night before the wedding. As booze is consumed, verbal gaffes uttered and regrets formed, Niederhoffer subjects the viewer to a series of overlong, stale observations on love and relationships, giving each character their respective time to try and earn an Independent Spirit Award. Only Paquin, in her role as the cheery bride who won't let a little thing like a maid of honor's obsession with her fiancé ruin her perfect day, seems in her element here. It's not coincidence the cast has teamed with J. Crew as part of the film's promotional campaign, as many of the actors nail that catalog's insouciant waspiness but come off vapid and self-absorbed.
It's not that ensemble wedding films can't be charming, insightful or original. Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married," for which this film will inevitably earn many more comparisons than this review, celebrated life while cloaked in the shadow of death. It takes a skillful director to pull off gravitas and whimsy in equal measure and have the viewer care about both.
Yet "The Romantics" succeeds in only telling us things everyone who has been broken up with already knows: love can suck. Falling in love is a big risk that requires a Grand Canyon-sized leap of faith. There's almost always a part of every ex you never want to leave behind. Sam Levy's cinematography, consisting mostly of handheld, naturalistic shots, intends to convey a fly-on-the-wall realism but ends up looking shaky and disorienting.
Niederhoffer's book was a bestseller but polarized critics. I'm guessing the film version will inevitably polarize this time along gender lines (read: the film boyfriends get dragged to.) When it comes to "The Romantics," we would like to kindly RSVP "I will be there…in spirit."
 |
 |
 |
 |
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.