Those of you expecting a laugh out loud comedy will probably be for the most part disappointed and when the last half hour starts rolling all comedy practically comes to a screeching halt. Story is about a young woman named Donna (Gwyneth Paltrow) who hates her lonely and aimless life in Nevada and decides to become an airline stewardess and her first job is for the small Sierra Airlines. While there she meets new friends like Sherry (Kelly Preston) and Christine (Christina Applegate) and together they dream of working for the bigger airlines like Royalty.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Donna and Christine work very hard to be accepted by Royalty Airlines and after they take their tests Christine incredibly gets the highly touted New York to Paris route while Donna unfortunately gets the Cleveland route which surprises her. While in Cleveland she moves in with Ted (Mark Ruffalo) and they fall in love but one day Donna finds out that Christine had switched test papers which is why she ended up where she did. Donna retakes the test and now must tell Ted that she has to leave for Paris but she isn't sure she'll be happy there.
This film is directed by Bruno Barreto who in the past has shown the ability to handle comedy and in the 1970's he directed the hit "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands". But I think Barreto is at the mercy of a very simplistic and underwhelming script by first time screenwriter Eric Wald. The actor's are fine and give fairly effective performances despite how predictable and tepid the story is. Candice Bergen has some good moments and isn't cast in her usual bitchy role but her character is a strong woman and Mike Myers gives the film the best (And only) real bits of comedy as the cockeyed training instructor. Paltrow, Applegate, and Preston are so beautiful to look at and putting them in bikini's in one scene is the film's smartest move. Applegate has definitely been working out and displays abs that I have not seen on her before. But this film also gives the sense that it was edited to try and stretch out the wafer thin story to an almost 85 minutes. The final half hour is just a bunch of shots of Paltrow wanting to be with Ruffalo and looking lonely. Paltrow can play comedy and romance with the best of them but this film ventures into real tedium and predictability. This is a script that definitely needed some fine tuning and the end result is a lightweight film that strays off course.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Donna and Christine work very hard to be accepted by Royalty Airlines and after they take their tests Christine incredibly gets the highly touted New York to Paris route while Donna unfortunately gets the Cleveland route which surprises her. While in Cleveland she moves in with Ted (Mark Ruffalo) and they fall in love but one day Donna finds out that Christine had switched test papers which is why she ended up where she did. Donna retakes the test and now must tell Ted that she has to leave for Paris but she isn't sure she'll be happy there.
This film is directed by Bruno Barreto who in the past has shown the ability to handle comedy and in the 1970's he directed the hit "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands". But I think Barreto is at the mercy of a very simplistic and underwhelming script by first time screenwriter Eric Wald. The actor's are fine and give fairly effective performances despite how predictable and tepid the story is. Candice Bergen has some good moments and isn't cast in her usual bitchy role but her character is a strong woman and Mike Myers gives the film the best (And only) real bits of comedy as the cockeyed training instructor. Paltrow, Applegate, and Preston are so beautiful to look at and putting them in bikini's in one scene is the film's smartest move. Applegate has definitely been working out and displays abs that I have not seen on her before. But this film also gives the sense that it was edited to try and stretch out the wafer thin story to an almost 85 minutes. The final half hour is just a bunch of shots of Paltrow wanting to be with Ruffalo and looking lonely. Paltrow can play comedy and romance with the best of them but this film ventures into real tedium and predictability. This is a script that definitely needed some fine tuning and the end result is a lightweight film that strays off course.