Let's get my bias out of the way first. Ryan Reynolds can do no wrong. I think he's as close to a Cary Grant as we'll get ever again. His face, and the many expressions it can make, are perfect for both drama and comedy, and he seems perfectly willing to commit to both extremes. In fact, in this movie, he's able to turn the tone of the movie in an instant. Oh right, he's also incredibly attractive.
Frank (Reynolds) is an efficiency expert whose day has been thrown off. The irony of being late to his own lecture on time management is not lost on him either. Through a serious of less than fortunate events, Frank manages to mount up enough circumstantial evidence of his committing adultery at least once, that his wife throws him out.
The twist, when it comes, is not altogether unexpected, but the material is treated with a humanity that makes you happy to keep watching. In one scene, Frank is streaking across a hockey rink and in another, his and Susan's (Mortimer's) foreheads are touching, and their muted sobs are pulling at heartstrings no mere romantic comedy would ever be able to play. The sort of climax of the movie is quite superb. You see great dramedic acting, and a clever script to boot. No, not a clever script, but a sincere one. Its writing makes this movie more of a comedic romance than a romantic comedy. If you don't understand that distinction, you will after watching this movie.
Frank (Reynolds) is an efficiency expert whose day has been thrown off. The irony of being late to his own lecture on time management is not lost on him either. Through a serious of less than fortunate events, Frank manages to mount up enough circumstantial evidence of his committing adultery at least once, that his wife throws him out.
The twist, when it comes, is not altogether unexpected, but the material is treated with a humanity that makes you happy to keep watching. In one scene, Frank is streaking across a hockey rink and in another, his and Susan's (Mortimer's) foreheads are touching, and their muted sobs are pulling at heartstrings no mere romantic comedy would ever be able to play. The sort of climax of the movie is quite superb. You see great dramedic acting, and a clever script to boot. No, not a clever script, but a sincere one. Its writing makes this movie more of a comedic romance than a romantic comedy. If you don't understand that distinction, you will after watching this movie.