Every Cliché in the Book!

Rating: 2/10 (11 December 2006)

All in all a very unoriginal and bland film. I struggled through this movie from beginning till end - it was predictable, slow and incredibly dull. Cameron Diaz is really at her worst, attempting to play the uptight snooty, career driven "filmmaker", Kate Winslet turns in a dreadful performance as the frumpy, unloved and needy journalist who suffers from unrequited love syndrome. The two swap homes (UK and US) and lifestyles in a Christmas attempt to find solace and emotional stability. Just as a breakdown here are all the dreadful character and plot points that just make this film a collection unoriginal ideas without a solid, emotional grounding: 1. Cameron Diaz plays a woman who cannot physically cry due to an emotional disconnection (guess what happens at the end... you guessed it, she cries) 2. Jude Law plays a would-be "player" who is actually a widower. All the would be phone calls from women who is seeing are actually from his ultra-cute daughters. 3. Kate Winslet finds love in a crotchety old man who is also alone and needs some form of confidence upliftment. 4. Winslet defeats the obsession she has with her ex and finally breaks away and moves on in an inspirational moment of awareness - truly predictable and boring. 5. Law breaks down his ultra smooth player tones to reveal his personal history and children and that he is just "a real nice guy". 6. Jack Black is miss cast as a film composer who has been messed around by an actress looking for a break... he eventually falls for Winslet in one the oddest, most unbelievable moments in the film. 7. The old man (who Winslet helps) is a screenwriter from the golden days of Hollywood. He is physically out of shape and struggles to move without a walker. Due to Winslets perseverance he becomes stronger and is able to walk up 5steps in order to receive an honorary award from the WGA. A terrible moment escalated to emotional manipulation due to an over the top score. 8. Diaz, as the hard nosed cow, falls in love with Law because of his kiddies and tragic history - despite her telling the audience and Law, over and over again that she wont fall in love. SURPRISE!! 9. At the end when Diaz and Law are happy and Winslet and Black are happy they are all celebrate new years together and dance around the living room.... they dance around the living room... they actually dance and skip and yell and shake and wiggle...
I hated this movie. I hate these clichés. I never want to see it again.