Mary Landers (Amy Smart) is having a tough time. Her boss dismisses her. Her boyfriend Carl dumps her for being predictable. On the train ride home, she has a meet cute with a stranger (Adrian Grenier). He leaves behind his phone and she sets off to return it to him. Apparently, he's the most interesting man in the world and she sees an opportunity to write a profile of him for her newspaper.
I wanted to dump on this movie until I got to the James and Carey story. It's a surprising different take on a romance from a rom-com and it really intrigued me. Nevertheless, let's start the dumping. Carl is a dud. Amy Smart is an angel. He is nowhere near her level. It's not just his plain looks. It's his character's overall dullness and some interior ugliness. She's crying about not finding a man and I roll my eyes. It's the tropiest of the romance tropes. In reality, guys are thanking god for one moment with such an angel. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she's nice on the inside. It's a romance trope joke. I would definitely consider having Grenier play Carl and he would come to his senses to woo her back in the end. James is better off pining for Carey for eternity.
For the first half, this plays more like Eat Pray Love crossed with a commercial of the Most Interesting Man in the World. The reason why I'm so intrigued with the James and Carey story is the central theme of the movie. Her article and the movie keeps asking for the meaning of love. The answer from the James and Carey story seems to suggest memories. Once her memories are gone, so goes her love for him. Please notice that he has not lost his memories. A normal romance would have him work to gain it back and it would come back because love conquers all. This one doesn't do that. Love is more fragile. In a way, love is more precious because of its fragility. It's a different take and I like that.
I wanted to dump on this movie until I got to the James and Carey story. It's a surprising different take on a romance from a rom-com and it really intrigued me. Nevertheless, let's start the dumping. Carl is a dud. Amy Smart is an angel. He is nowhere near her level. It's not just his plain looks. It's his character's overall dullness and some interior ugliness. She's crying about not finding a man and I roll my eyes. It's the tropiest of the romance tropes. In reality, guys are thanking god for one moment with such an angel. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she's nice on the inside. It's a romance trope joke. I would definitely consider having Grenier play Carl and he would come to his senses to woo her back in the end. James is better off pining for Carey for eternity.
For the first half, this plays more like Eat Pray Love crossed with a commercial of the Most Interesting Man in the World. The reason why I'm so intrigued with the James and Carey story is the central theme of the movie. Her article and the movie keeps asking for the meaning of love. The answer from the James and Carey story seems to suggest memories. Once her memories are gone, so goes her love for him. Please notice that he has not lost his memories. A normal romance would have him work to gain it back and it would come back because love conquers all. This one doesn't do that. Love is more fragile. In a way, love is more precious because of its fragility. It's a different take and I like that.