Catch and Release, 2006

Catch and Release, 2006
Director: Susannah Grant
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Kevin Smith, Timothy Olyphant



Stage: Home TV selection, late Sunday night.



Catch and Release in short: After the sudden death of her fiancé, Gray Wheeler finds comfort in the company of his friends: lighthearted and comic Sam, hyper-responsible Dennis, and, oddly enough, his old childhood buddy Fritz, an irresponsible playboy whom she'd previously pegged as one of the least reliable people in the world. As secrets about her supposedly perfect fiancé emerge, Gray comes to see new sides of the man she thought she knew, and at the same time, finds herself drawn to the last man she ever expected to fall for.


Preps: I don't know the essence of the movie, nor have I heard anything about this piece. But Jennifer can be cute in some romantic pieces. let's see.


Reality: It is an interesting piece. Starts off with irony of the moment. Losing a guy you are supposed to marry is a tragedy. Especially if you really mean it and you are all up to it. Quite another thing is finding out all the secret life he has been living parallel to living with you. This movie deals with loss and getting over by finding out all the bad things about your ex. Somehow different to similar pieces.

Gray is faced with all the dirty details, plus she falls for one of his friends. Scene where they kiss for the first time, is one of more optimal  solutions to the problem, what to do about it. Step aside and think. Not go for it, all the way. The irony of the moment is so strong it keeps me wondering for a long time. The same goes for the dialogues and the black humour witty stuff that keeps my belly trembling with anxiety.

As said, one of the better pieces in the genre, that wants to be some kind of comical drama and succeeds truly. The friends are neat, the family is awful (getting the engagement ring back might seem a good idea as the spouse isn't going to stay in family, but from her perspective it is either highly ironical or unacceptable). I believe I would slap the future ex mother in law in the face. I need to admit Garner plays a tremendous role in this one, compared to some minor ones that I can remember, where she doesn't have the decent glow around her.

Nothing really perticular about this piece, but I do like it. A good Sunday entertainment, truly. Plus, the guy she falls for, cute and charming, Mr Yummy. :)

My personal rating: 6,0 (more than decent Sunday fun. To be sincere, fell to the solid ground).


Catch and Release on IMDB

Love Happens, 2009

Love Happens, 2009
Director: Brandon Camp
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Dan Fogler, Frances Conroy



Stage: Home TV selection, Sunday night


Love Happens in short: Burke is a motivational speaker whose book about dealing with grief is a best seller. His wife died in a car accident three years ago. He's in Seattle to lead a week-long workshop on healing and to negotiate a major multi-media deal. But something's amiss: he's a closet drinker, he won't ride elevators, his moods swing, he's estranged from his wife's father, and he's very much alone. In a hotel hallway, he bumps into a woman arranging flowers, tries to chat with her, and gets the brush-off. She's Eloise, a local florist who's just broken up with a boyfriend. He's persistent and they eventually go to dinner - it goes badly. What's blocking Burke? Can the physician heal himself.


Preps: Hm. I have seen this romantic comedy. Seems like a nice choice to end the weekend with.


Reality: Yep, this is a good one to end the weekend. A nice romantic comedy. It is not one of the best, however, also above average. Jennifer Aniston probably graduated in roles like this and seems they fit her like a glove. This perticular case deals with getting over a loss (if a person you love doesn't really leave you, but dies), falling in love, healing.
Getting over with an attitude means a lot of things. The depicted in the piece is one of them. Making a book, writing about it, can be a way. But getting it commercialized and being the next best Oprah, maybe isn't the greatest idea of them all. You might insult the memory of the lost one in this way. It is hard to tell what is the right path. Everyone needs to find one that works for him/her. I am in no position to judge the path someone chooses. However, the depicted one is corrupted. Because this person makes money out of his wife's death. You might call it economic, I call it immoral. To be in a group to discuss it, good. To find some help to get over, even better. But do not make money out of it. Or other people. In this case, the loss transfers in means of money and the moderator is the guy that never got over it.
I believe the story, the romance seems genuine. I feel the movie and it touches my soul. This is an example how dilluted a good thought (or good deed) might come out. I am deeply offensed that the guy isn't over his loss and teaches other people to become better, get over, find a way, etc. In some sense, his heeling is just happening, yet he's already making money out of it. He seems like some of the dilluted speakers we have here also in Slovenia, with the group things, hand shakes, big applauses, sessions he has, the unique way of saying OK, etc. I despise such "gurus", because I believe they are as f... up as this guy, deep down inside, and they are always wearing a mask. This piece lets me see beyond the mask and therefore I appreciate it. Plus, it is always a pleasure for me to see Aniston in one of her romantic schemes :)


My personal rating: 7,0 (cool and genuine. I love a lot parts of it. Plus, the most romantic date with her inviting him to the concert and then seeing it on a construction tool ).


Love Happens on IMDB