A movie that knows just when to break the rules

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2012)

The problem I have with romantic comedies is that they are the most formulaic and hidebound of all the genres. If it's a comedy, then by definition it has to have a happy ending. And if it's a romance, the only happy ending is to have the two leads get together. So usually I'm just tapping my toe, waiting for the leads to get through the requisite squirming before the inevitable.
Lately, we've seen a variety of crude gags thrown into the mix, presumably to distract us from this inevitability This movie does a great job of hewing closely enough to the standard romcom formula to keep an audience satisfied, while undercutting it enough to surprise us now and then and prevent us from seeing exactly where it's going at any point. The outcome of the big dance contest is a perfect example.
It's not easy to write a movie that's this particular, this original and yet satisfying. Wonderful performances don't hurt, either.
Warning: There are a few unbelievably long scenes. And yet they work.