Magical...with caveats!

Rating: 7/10 (14 February 2010)

It is spellbinding. The three leads are so comfortable with one another. Kevin Jamess comedy is very versatile and his physical skill gives the film added depth. I had wanted to see a good romcom for so long, and here it WAS. I am actually laughing at the utterly competent and sublimely confident Smith in every scene and he delivered the slick script with the deftness and verve of a skilled master-boy of comedy. The sub-plots were there to glue up all the seams and they did so very well. Eva Mendes was delicious.
Did I say spellbinding though? Oh my! I forgot the last 40 minutes of this movie where I allocate 9/10 to the first part and 4/10 to the last 40 minutes. Why? Because, for the end of the movie the storytellers in their complete boneheadedness decided to strap the characters rigidly to a "Loses-girl-Situation falls apart-Saves situation-Gets girl back-Live happily ever after" formula that kills ALL of the humour and for the most part, the characters stone-dead. Simply because it was wrenched from its natural flow.
Awful...and the same thing happened in 'How to lose a guy in 10 Days" too. Pattern emerging and I think it might be 'Studio Management interference'.
Anyhow, I have decided to up the combined average score from 6 to 7 because Eva Mendes is gorgeous and Kevin James proved that we should see more of him.