Wishful Thinking

Max (James Le Gros) and Elizabeth (Jennifer Beals) have been living together for some time. One day, Max offers Elizabeth a small jewelry box and she ecstatically believes he is proposing to her. However, inside the box is a glorified toothpick that Max contends will be a lucrative business idea. Elizabeth is deeply hurt and the couple begin pulling apart. Waiting to pounce on Max is a co-worker named Lena (Drew Barrymore), who lost her heart to him many moons ago at the introspective movie theater where they both toil. Elizabeth, too, finds solace with an attractive man, Henry (Jon Stewart) after meeting him late one night at a coffee shop. Yet, Max still obsesses about Elizabeth, seeing her face in all of the pot-boiling films he shows at the cinema. Is there a major breakup coming or a reconciliation? This is a wonderfully different romantic drama, with attractive players and an offbeat charm. Beals and Barrymore are both talented and very lovely in their roles, with Jennifer dressing simply but elegantly and Barrymore sporting one outrageous but arresting outfit after another. Le Gros is also fine as the mixed-up boyfriend while Stewart is a funny and handsome suitor for Beals. The scenery in and around Manhattan is nice and the production values very fine. Also interesting are the movie's technical attributes, which includes shooting scenes from different angles and substituting the faces of Beals and company in the old black and white films of long ago. Moreover, the script is quite inventive and original. In short, if your wish is for a nice romantic drama, with comedy and feeling, try this sweet but obscure film. After a viewing, you will definitely be thinking your made the right choice.

I've just watched this movie and I found it very good. I decided to watch it because of Drew Barrymore - she is my favorite - but even though she didn't have a very big part I enjoyed this movie a lot. This movie is about a woman who wants the boyfriend of her "friend" and she does everything to take him from her. It is separated in three parts. In the first part it shows the whole story briefly. It stops in the most agonized scene. In the second part the story starts again, almost, from the beginning and shows more information about how and why and stops in the same scene and in the third and final part - which is colorless - it finishes and you finally understand what' s all this about... I put 9 out of 10

The 2 good things about this film were the costume and personality that Drew Barrymore had, and the way that they worked the 3 individuals stories into one another, which kept you a little in suspense. Other than that, this film didn't have much to offer. It wasn't romantic or funny. Not horrible either, though. I give it a 5/10 (Average)

I just saw the movie on cable and I had a pleasant time. No it is not a movie I would go out of my way to watch again, but definitely not the worst in my list. True, the plot was very common and only the narration was short of inventive, but all in all not a bad movie. It is just that labeling it "romantic comedy" is misleading, it might be light but not a comedy. What prompted me to write about it was Jennifer Beals whom I think stole the show. I hadn't seen her since Flashdance (yuck) and I think she matured nicely. I might look for other recent movies that she played in.

This entertaining comedy replays its episodes from different characters' points of view, and also as scenes from 1940s black and white films. (One of the characters is a projectionist in an art house.) Through all the fun, there runs a Shakespearean comedy plot in which characters who are paired up with the wrong partners go through a series of misadventures to end up, at last, with the right one. John Stewart is very funny, in a John Stewartish way, and Drew Barrymore is luminous and funny, as always. It's a bit talky in places, but stay with it -- it'll reward your attention.