Three Out of Four Stars Charm in an Overlong, Formulaic Comedy That Gets It Right Half the Time

Rating: 5/10 (17 March 2007)

After about 45 minutes of overdone laborious set-up, at least half of this overlong, dual-track 2006 romantic comedy takes flight, while the other half remains stubbornly contrived. More problems occur when three of the four principals show an affinity for screenwriter/director Nancy Meyers' brand of breezy but manipulative farce, while the fourth seems like he doesn't belong in the movie at all. A calculated throwback to golden-era Hollywood in more ways than one, the stacked-deck premise is simple enough - two women, Amanda in LA and Iris in England, both unlucky in love, decide impulsively to switch houses during the Christmas holiday with the intent of celebrating their emancipation from men bad for them.
Amanda's side of the story is the more pleasurable of the two because ironically, it doesn't veer too much from formula. At first, Cameron Diaz's performance as Amanda seems heavily exaggerated, but once she meets Jude Law, very Grant-like (Cary or Hugh, take your pick) as Iris' smooth-talking brother Graham, she settles down as he is the epitome of the Sensitive Man for reasons that become clear soon enough. Probably because the actors are such striking people, their chemistry is palpable and unforced, as their characters pretend not to fall in love when it is obvious they are. Iris' LA adventure does not fare as well. Although Kate Winslet is dependably winning as Iris, her natural vibrancy and beauty seem at odds with her role as a doormat to an ex-boyfriend who keeps stringing her along.
The stateside romance is also more convoluted as it involves her almost-instant friendship with an aged Hollywood screenwriter who refuses to be the subject of an industry tribute. It's nice to see 91-year old Eli Wallach play the curmudgeonly writer with old-world charm and a wry sense of humor, but the subplot feels forced as an excuse to provide a more direct connection to the Hollywood film classics. Even worse, Jack Black is completely out of his element as Miles, a sardonic film composer already in a shaky relationship with an actress. That Iris and Miles get together seems more like an afterthought since there is zero chemistry between Winslet and Black. The resulting imbalance between the two story lines adds to the interminable feel of the movie's 136-minute running time.
Even though there are a handful of funny sight gags (mostly spotlighting Diaz) and a clever three-way phone conversation with Iris at the center, the film is burdened by its leisurely pacing and Meyers' indulgent approach to the material. Thanks to Jon Hutman's picture-postcard sets, especially of the English countryside, and Hans Zimmer's appropriately romantic score, it certainly feels like the Hollywood confection that she was trying to replicate. The 2007 DVD has a robust commentary track courtesy of Meyers and several of her crew like Zimmer, Hutman and editor Joe Hutshing but featuring none of the stars. There is also an eighteen-minute making-of featurette, pretty standard, along with a number of previews for current and upcoming theatrical releases like "Spider-Man 3".