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I've skimmed some of the reviews here, many of them so negative. What were those reviewers expecting? Shakespeare this is not. But it is a light, cute romantic comedy, and I enjoyed watching it. Sitting home alone on Christmas Eve, I spent a nice hour and a half watching these pleasant looking characters in a pleasant looking environment leading their pleasant, contrived and comical lives. That, and a bowl of popcorn - hey, it could have been a lot worse.

I'm hit and miss with Witherspoon movies. I like her in a fun, need a vapid relaxation movie kinda way, but this surprised me a little. It's a cute rom com etc as expected but what was a bit different in this is that the boy toy characters actually had depth and were interesting people, which made it much more enjoyable to watch. Not going on a favorite movies list but definitely worth a fun watch on movie night.

Not in the mood for scares this weekend? No problem, Hollywood has got you non-horror movie goers covered with another romantic comedy. This weekend, the legendary Reese Witherspoon stars in another Hallie Meyers-Shyer work, in hopes of tickling your romantic fantasy on a less risqué scale. Robbie K back again with another movie review on Home Again. Will this film be another mundane addition to her lineup, or do we perhaps have something special with this flick? Let's get started to answer that question, shall we?

LIKES:

Charming/Cute: Like her works in the past, Meyers-Shyer has done a fantastic job building an adorable world/situation for our characters to play in. No major tension, violence, or heart- stopping shock moments, exist in this movie. Instead it is just a simple tale that will pull at your heartstrings while portraying those romantic morals many wish to see. Such a positive atmosphere certainly offsets the horror atmosphere of the other movie most likely to be in your theater.

Fun: With that positive atmosphere comes a fun movie, filled with small sequences that are wholesome, innocent, and surprisingly entertaining. Like a Hallmark Movie on steroids, Home Again takes on plenty of life lessons that are tested against the modern society trends today. Loyalty, romance, job work, responsibility, and child rearing are just some of the things you'll get in this movie. And while tasteful, and certainly predictable, the journey to addressing the obstructions in our character's life brings about some simplistic laughs, a plethora of smiles, and a few tears for whose hearts are warmed by Meyer-Shyer's writing.

Acting: Despite what some say, I found the acting okay and well-fitting given the environment of the movie. Witherspoon herself felt very natural in the role of a single mom looking to find herself again. She brought great energy to the film, all while keeping herself grounded amidst the chaos of all the relationships. The kids were an adorable addition, each playing their parts well to offset the romantic drama loaded into this film. I particular liked the older daughter story and how it integrated a different side of the guys to help solve a different problem. Speaking of the guys all three "eligible" bachelors were decent in playing their assigned roles, from younger brother bringing peace, to the stud that caught Reese's eyes. Of all them, Jon Rudnitsky was my favorite and the most dynamic of the characters being integrated into the film. A nice blend of comedy and drama, Jon's character kept the characters well integrated into the mix.

The short run time: A predictable tale like this can get old, fast. Fortunately, they had the foresight to cut this movie to the shorter end, telling the tale in enough details to get the job done. A plus on my side, though many may feel robbed of a full story they pine for given her past films.

DISLIKES:

Rushed elements: Despite the short time being a nice gift, Home Again's brisk pace leaves some key development scrounging for a rebound. So much potential to really give more layers to the movie, and perhaps get a few engaging story lines out of the mix would have been the better route. Especially when it came to the challenges at hand.

No major obstacle: Home Again felt like a movie with little struggle, few challenges, and in all honesty a lackluster tale all in all. It played a little too close to home and left me just milling about as the problems seemed to iron themselves away. With all the complicated relationships crammed into this tale, one would expect a little more resistance from the awkward shuffling this cast played. Even most Hallmark movies push back more than this film did before they get to that mushy-gushy ending that millions fall in love with. Perhaps a larger challenge might have made for more engaging characters and a feeling of accomplishment.

Characters: Sure they are charming, cute, admirable, and responsible in many ways, but I have to face the facts… the characters are rather one dimensional. The actors did well with what they were given, but much of the movie's puppets were a bit boring to me. Much of my fellow audience members like their physical appearances the most, but this reviewer had difficulties attaching to them because of their stunted growth. Even Reese's character seemed a bit dull, caught in a whirlwind of indecision before suddenly flipping sides. Even worse, the characters (like the plot) were predictable, further dulling the film's entertainment value.

Little Candice Bergen: When you sell Murphy Brown in the trailers, I hope to get more of the spunky actress. Not the case, as Bergen is reduced to a few nugget lines of dialog that is lost in the "romantic" tide. Had she been integrated into the movie, I have no doubt the characters could have grown stronger with her pushing Reese's character to better herself.

The VERDICT:

While certainly cute, Home Again was a bit too simplistic for my tastes, missing the potential to be one of the better romantic comedies. A rushed story with limited character growth, no real obstacles to keep you engaged, and some missed comedic elements doesn't bode well for this predictable tale. However, it is still a fun, feel good movie that will do its job of entertaining target audiences with eye candy, simplistic laughs, and an overall warm your cardiac pump moment that will make you feel good at the end of the day. Not a bad feeling, but not worth the inflated movie ticket price.

My scores:

Comedy/Drama/Romance: 6.0 Movie Overall: 5.5

This movie is just a fun watch. The cast is the best part, primarily because each of the guys is so ridiculously attractive, yet Witherspoon's character is never over-powered. Each of them also has a great rapport with her and her children that is just adorable to watch. Witherspoon is a believable single mom with normal home problems, and the presence of the three young men adds love and personal support into the mix. And it works. This movie portrays a woman in a way that I can get behind. She doesn't date one of the young guys staying with her because she wants to recapture her youth or make someone jealous or for some other superficial reason. She is drawn to him like she would be any other man. The movie highlights, for me, how often youth and women are underestimated in movies, especially ones like these. Younger guys aren't always stupid boy toys or hot, forbidden affairs, and moms are not all Mrs. Robinson. Watch this movie for a laugh, a blush, and a somewhat fresh take on a single mom finding new love.

Let me preface this by say that I love movies, I'm not a movie snob by any stretch. I particularly love Rom-Coms and have been disappointed that they have fallen out of favor over the last decade or so. Some of my favorite movies are cheesy Rom-Coms; Never Been Kissed, 13 Going on 30, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Holiday and even Ghost of Girlfriends Past.

I saw this film as a pre-screener ahead of it's official release. Sometimes they pre-screen movies because they are great and want them to get buzz, sometimes they are really bad, and hope the audience falls in love before the critics get their hands on it. This is bad, really bad. Not just in story, but in acting, directing, editing score; you name it, it's bad. I love Reese Witherspoon and never thought I would see her phone in a performance but here it is. She doesn't so much as act as rolls her eyes and makes goofy faces; it's embarrassing to watch. There are so many cast members here that usually can do no wrong in my book; Candice Bergen, Lake Bell, Michael Sheen. They are given nothing to work with and Michael Sheen's character is nothing more than a cartoon. Nat Wolff is up and coming; I've seen him in a few things and think he's generally pretty good. Thanks to the very poor editing you can see him laughing in two scenes where he's clearly not supposed to be.

The whole film is just embarrassingly bad. You know the movie Mother's Day, how "bad" that is? It looks like an Oscar winning film compared to this. I looked up the movie after the screening, curious how it went so wrong. It's written and directed by Nancy Myer's daughter. Her daughter seems to have no credentials to be able to sell and direct a movie so my thought is that there were a lot of favors and strings pulled and it shows. I wouldn't even recommend watching this movie if you were sick in bed and it happened to pop up on TV.