Woebegone romantic weepie...brash, miscast, unpleasant

Rating: 3/10 (6 November 2012)

Hilary Swank is a wonderful actress, but light romantic drama with the occasional comedic inflection doesn't appear to be her forte. Here, Swank, forthright in all the wrong ways, is uncomfortably cast as a young widow who is surprised to discover her deceased husband (the victim of a brain tumor) has left behind a series of messages to help her onto the next phase of her life. This turn of events is surprising to us, as well; from what we are able to ascertain from their marriage, their union mostly consisted of petty bickering and childish misunderstandings (Gerard Butler's striptease notwithstanding). Butler and Swank are a mismatched pair of doomed lovers (Butler isn't light on his feet, either), while the star-studded supporting cast seem indifferent to all this he-she nonsense. Swank is mooned over by friendly barkeep Harry Connick Jr., but this casting gambit fails as well--with Connick far more likely to be Swank's brother than a potential love-interest. Another dreadful, 'modern' romance, the type wherein the girl, drunk, pours her heart out to the guy...and then vomits on his shoes for a quick guffaw. Glossy film has everything money can buy except charm. *1/2 from ****