Win A Date With Ted Hamilton, 2004

Win a Date With Ted Hamilton, 2004
Director: Robert Luketič
Cast: Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Topher Grace


Stage: Home TV selection, nice Monday evening


Win a Date in short: Rosalee Futch is a grocery clerk living in rural West Virginia. But even a small-town girl can have big dreams, and Rosalee's is to someday--somehow--meet her big-screen idol Tad Hamilton. The somehow arrives in the form of a contest--the grand prize: a date with Tad Hamilton--and the someday is now. Rosalee wins, much to the chagrin of her best friend and co-worker Pete, who is deeply, hopelessly--and secretly--in love with Rosalee. The Win a Date contest was cooked up by Tad's agent, Richard Levy, and his manager, also named Richard Levy, to clean up Tad's bad-boy image. Someone should have told them to be careful what you wish for. When Tad meets Rosalee and gets a taste of what he's been missing in the real world, he decides he wants seconds and moves to West Virginia, turning Rosalee's dream come true into a nightmare for Richard Levy, Richard Levy and, most of all, Pete.




Preps: I have nothing special to do and am not in a mood for something heavy. Plus, something isn't working as it should with my portable disc. Hence.. tv should make me entertained.


Reality: Hm. I am more than dissappointed. The plot seems interesting. Something like Notting Hill, but in US. NOT. Truly not. What did this director mean by creating something like this, I don't know. Fortunately, I don't recall having this at our theaters, otherwise I would object on this spot putting something like this in public.

To be quite precise - the plot is interesting, but poorly delivered. This means the script wasn't optimized and the screenwriter should probably rethink his work. Next, the characters. Lame delivery of cast, main and supporting actors. Poor energy, lousy dialogues and all the time you feel you are watching something that was designed for kids. Interesting music, but this normally isn't the problem at romantic comedies. Stage, photography, scenes.. average or subaverage. All in all, the movie leaves me cold and I am angry for spending time on this s...

You shouldn't bet on such TV comedies as they will seldom surprise you or leave you burning with anxiety. The story could be a good one, if it was delivered properly. The huge advance of this topic is seen in Notting Hill, taking number one in this genre and this perticular topic. Everyone wants to see how dating a celebrity might seem like, because anyone can relate to this desire every now and then. But to see it in this shape is truly dissappointing.


My personal rating: 1,0 (for the topic, not delivery. Don't waste your time!)


Win a Date on IMDB

Life as we know it, 2010

Life as we know it, 2010
Director: Greg Berlanti
Cast: Katherine Heigl,Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas



Stage: home theatre


Life as we know it in short: Holly and Eric were set up on a blind date by their friends, Peter and Allison who are married. After Peter and Allison are killed in an accident, they learn that they have been named as the guardians to Peter and Allison's daughter, Sophie. So they move into their house and try their best to honor their friends' wishes. But raising a child puts a crimp on their style and they don't exactly get along.


Preps: None in perticular. Not aware of anything, haven't seen it at the movies and do not know who is the actor. So I am in for a surprise.



Reality: Wow, a surprise indeed. A cute start, having a perfect family with usual affairs and troubles. It gets complicated as the parents get killed in an accident. And the trivial question - who will take care of the child, gets solved in the most unusual way. I would never expect of any parents to live the child to their best friends for the simple reason, that they cannot stand each other.
Now the funny element in the piece derives from living under the same roof with the person you are obliged to just because your friends requested this as their last wish. So you want to respect that and get over it.
The problem here is not only social (the taking care of the child, which is obvious), but is more like this - can you get over your feelings for a person you hate and really not just pretend that you can get along in the same household? A philosophical cliche, I might say, but in this piece distributed in the most funny way possible. The scenes somehow remind of the better ones from Three men and a little baby /(the french version)/ or What happens in Vegas. I mean really funny scenes you cannot escape with having two persons not knowing how to take care of a baby and a baby in one scene. Entertaining, even more.
The other cliche we cannot escape is that opposites attract. It's pretty clear that one way or another the two main actors are going to get involved, the only remaining question is, if it's just having sex or something more. Since we are in Hollywood pack, it's quite clear it's going to be the second. Of course not without some complications, but still, the second choice.
The good thing about the movie is that it reminds us that having kids isn't just peaches and sweet cream. It's also the other way. And on our paths some mean things can happen to us. Maybe worth considering, what if, every now and then. The piece is more than average and Heigl has this good chemistry she passes in this type of movies. Really lovely to watch and I enjoyed the ride all along the way.


My personal rate: 8,0 ( a cute comedy, you will find a lot of scenes amusing and you will find the complete piece relaxing)

Life as we know it on IMDB

When in Rome, 2010

When in Rome, 2010
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston


Rome in short: Beth is a young, ambitious New Yorker who is completely unlucky in love. However, on a whirlwind trip to Rome, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love, and is then aggressively pursued by a band of suitors.


Preps: one of the hot ones in the local cinema at this point. I was wondering what it was, although I have known for a fact that it has to do with the fountain of love in Rome. Since I have never been to this (supposed to be) the most romantic place in the Europe, I thought the scenery would be taking place there so I can at least fill my eyes with what I once will see for real. And a romantic sort of comedy, that was my expectations. Hence, no movies, but a home set

Stage: home theatre (home laptop, if I am quite sincere).

Reality: Ahhhh, my expectations were too high. Just a glimpse of Rome and there's nothing more to it. However, the story seems intriguing at the first side. I tend to buy some of this romantic stuff the producers sell in these kinds of movies. This in perticular plays with a romantic perception of a fountain of love and the punishment one gets for stealing coins out of them.

However, the perception of love, that follows this deed, is something that keeps me thinking even now, when thinking of it. How many people would take love, even if it came out of a spell? Is love just a spell, or is something more to it. And, can it be created by a powerful wish coming from a coin in the water?

After chasing her whole life (in this sense this is somehow stupid, everyone can see she's really young and has the whole life in front of her) her true love and is exhausted from it and from her career, she doesn't want to settle for true love, coming from a coin. A set of comical scenes of potential lovers chasing her, leave me with a nice feeling in my gut, that I wasn't the one, getting those damn coins out of the fountain. However, the movie fills me with a wish to see Rome for real. Maybe that's all it will give to you too if you see it :)



My personal rate: 5,0 (you won't miss a thing if you don't see it. Definitely a nice thing to do on a dull Sunday afternoon, but in my opinion this genre offers more than this movie shows. Thus, not a recommended movie from my side.)

Rome on IMDB

Official site