Get the feedNew on DVD: Ireland, Silliness, and Singing
Tuesday, May 04th 2010
Leap Year
Romantic Comedy
The Gist: An A-type business woman stalks - I mean follows - her boyfriend to Ireland. She's heard there's an Irish tradition of the woman proposing to the man on Leap Year Day. But, of course, things go wrong and she finds herself traipsing the Irish countryside with a local cutie in a desperate quest to get back to her scheduled life. In five inch heels.
The Ups: Amy Adams is always adorable, but this role is too lightweight for her talents.
The Downs: A lack of chemistry and a sheen of unbelievability (why couldn't she propose a different day?) make this romcom a disappointment. Plus, it's always sunny in their Ireland and we all know THAT's not true.
The Verdict: Skip it. For Amy's sake, let's all just pretend this movie never happened.
Be Aware: Rated PG for sensuality and language. IMDB Parents Guide.
The Tooth Fairy
Kid's Comedy
The Gist: Dwayne (no longer The Rock) Johnson plays a cynical, bitter hockey player whose meanspirited crushing of kids' dreams lands him in fairy court. His sentence? A stint as a tooth fairy, blue satin outfit and all.
The Ups: A fun, if not particularly sophisticated script is enhanced by spot-on casting. Julie Andrews plays the Fairy Godmother, Steven Merchant (The Office-UK version) is a born fairy bureaucrat, and Billy Crystal pops in as stockroom fairy. The kids will laugh. And I'm betting, so will the parents.
The Downs: This ain't Steven Spielberg here. Then again, no one is expecting it to be.
The Verdict: Rent it. Enjoy some silly laughs with your elementary school aged kids.
Be Aware: Rated PG for mild language, some rude humor and sports action. This movie is clean.
Nine
Musical
The Gist: Intended to be the next "Chicago," "Nine" gathered a stellar cast (Nicole Kidman! Penelope Cruz! Fergie!), dressed them in short skirts, and unleashed their inner cabaret singers in highly produced numbers. The plot, such as it is, revolves around an Italian film director and the many, many attractive women in his life.
The Ups: Some catchy music and some undeniably beautiful women.
The Downs: Sometimes the sum of the parts is less than the whole. Too much flash and not enough story add up to a fizzle. Daniel Day-Lewis doesn't work as the man at the center of the glitzy storm. Plus, it's apparently impossible to sing without being raunchy in Italy.
The Verdict: Skip it. Unless you're a musical superfan, it's not worth your time.
Be Aware: Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking. IMDB Parents Guide.
Rebecca Cusey
Rebecca Cusey is the official movie reviewer for SixSeeds.tv. A member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association and the Television Critics Association, she does celebrity interviews, reviews, trend pieces, and event coverage. Her work has appeared in USA Today, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Comcast.net, World Magazine, National Review Online, Relevant Magazine, Beliefnet.com, and many other outlets.
Comments
by Christy Cate #
I almost always agree with your movie assessments and enjoy your comments, but I absolutely loved Leap Year. Of course it's predictable and corny, but come on... You recommended The Tooth Fairy?! If the kids can use the cheese on occasion, so can the parents. Keep up the reviews!
by Rebecca Cusey #
Christy,
Thanks for the note. You're right of course. Cheese is good for parents as well as kids. But I have to admit, RomComs have to work pretty hard to impress me. I seem to be missing the RomCom gene in general. I'm glad you liked Leap Year.
Thanks for the note. You're right of course. Cheese is good for parents as well as kids. But I have to admit, RomComs have to work pretty hard to impress me. I seem to be missing the RomCom gene in general. I'm glad you liked Leap Year.
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by Nancy French #