Product: Someone Like You [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 2.0
A lot of hype for a disappointing flick
When I slipped "Someone Like You" into the machine, I admit I didn't have an open mind. I was predisposed to like the film for several reasons: mainly Hugh Jackman, the hunky Aussie who grabbed American filmgoers' attention as Wolverine in "X-Men." I'm also a longtime fan of Greg Kinnear -- hey, I remember him as the original host of "Talk Soup" -- and liked the Laura Zigman novel "Animal Husbandry," the basis for this film.So my disappointment at the failure of this film is great indeed.I can't lay the blame at the feet of any of the actors -- Jackman, Kinnear, Ashley Judd and Marisa Tomei gave it their best shots. But good actors can only do so much with a scattered script that provides little explanation for the action, not to mention jerky editing that leaves plot lines dangling. Had I not read Zigman's work, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea what was going on. Those not inclined to visit the library or buy the book here will likely have trouble comprehending the storyline -- co-workers Kinnear and Judd begin a whirlwind romance that ends just before they move in together, which forces the apartment-less Judd to then become co-worker Jackman's roommate, with whom she forms a prickly friendship while using animal behavior (specifically that of cows and bulls) to explain Kinnear's stupidity. What was charming in novel form becomes tiresome onscreen, and the film didn't provide enough glimpses of the magnificent Jackman, who is arguably one of the most attractive actors working today, to maintain my interest.I reluctantly rate "Someone Like You" a C-minus.