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While the title may be a tad misleading, Bart Freundlich's 'The Rebound' is a refreshing romantic comedy that centres around a forty-something single mother and a 24-year old singleton. Unlike most traditional Hollywood movies of this genre, much of the humour here is subtle and it balances off well with the rest.

Freundlich also addresses the issue of age-stereotype and how it affects people. When Aram calls Sandy an ageist, it may appear petty but there is some truth to it as she just couldn't see him outside the stereotype even though her concerns are justified to an extent.

On the technical side, it's a decently made little film. The setting is New York and Freundlich cleverly steers clear of exposing too many postcard images of the city. Refreshingly paired Justin Bartha and Catherine Zeta-Jones form a very likable and convincing couple on screen. Zeta-Jones displays her growth as an actress in a mature performance and Bartha is excellent as the kind-hearted young man who's going through a lot (split up from his wife, unemployment etc) and yet decides to do the generous thing. The supporting cast is mostly adequate. Joanna Gleason is brilliant with her downplayed performance.

Overall, 'The Rebound' is a delight to watch while, at the same time it presents some interesting issues regarding age and gender stereotype. It's a great date movie and something worth considering for a rainy day.

Suburban mom Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) finds evidence of her husband Frank cheating on her son's birthday party video. She takes her 2 kids to live in the city while she's getting a divorce. She takes a fact checking job on a sport channel. She's compulsively organized and had spent all her spare time compiling sports data. Aram Finklestein (Justin Bartha) is 24 and still recovering from the breakup of his marriage to a French girl who only wanted him for a green card. He's working at a coffee shop but his aimless lifestyle concerns his parents. Sandy moves into the apartment above the coffee shop. He babysits her kids. She starts writing sports stories. He starts working as her nanny. Eventually they date. Only they're both on the rebound or are they?

Both Catherine and Justin are perfectly nice actors portraying perfectly nice characters. There isn't much in terms of hurdles other than their age difference. Catherine is so hot that her age doesn't necessarily matter at least to the audience. Written/directed by Bart Freundlich, the movie shows more competence than anything extraordinary. The romance is as predictable as it gets. The comedy has a couple of charming chuckles. This is a mildly amusing rom-com.

Good May December romance movie. There are many funny laugh out loud moments in this movie. The jokes aren't clichéd and the dialog is original and fresh. Wish I could see more of Catherine Zeta Jones in movies these days. She is beautiful especially without too much makeup. Sometimes she looks too sophisticated to be in that situation but she is just a pleasure to watch on screen. It's also nice to see a woman not trying to be rail thin as she enters her forties. Justin Bartha is quite charming in this role. Although he isn't tall he can do romantic roles not just the sidekick stuff. Sometimes the dialog was a bit fast to catch. The story is feel good and not far fetched without being sentimental or predictable.

I went into the movie with low expectations. Wasn't hard, given it has been slammed by most critics and the pretentious on RottonTomatoes. This was not helped by a rushed, detached start which made me feel doubtful that the movie would pick up from there.

However, The Rebound quickly takes a swift turn for the feel-good drama and I was very impressed as it became not only a light romantic comedy but more a well-thought, rounded character drama with all sorts of little sub-plots, rich character development, great performances, and a genuine likability to every part of the movie. It was just very well done and the rest did not feel rushed at all. If only it had been about 10 minutes longer at the start to get us to really feel that too, instead of brushing aside the seriousness of it as if it were a slapstick laugh-job, it would've scored another star or two.

Definitely go see it if you liked "500 Days Of Summer". And go see "500 Days of Summer" if you haven't already. Are you kidding me?!

Every movie has its specific set of audience, and this one too has a particular set. It is a sensitive but sexy movie about a woman in her forties and her post-divorce encounters with different feelings like hatred, low self-esteem, domestic problems and her personal life. Amidst all the things going wrong with a woman who is in a situation where she had been cheated by her husband, she finds something which perhaps is the most important thing in this world, "Friendship". Catherine Zeta Jones looks lovely throughout. I literally fell in love with her after watching the movie. Not just because she is beautiful but the emotions portrayed by her are extremely believable and life like. She portrays the role presented to her with perfection and looks plausible as a single mother raising two kids. Moreover, No matter what others say, I feel the chemistry between her and Justin Bartha (The Hangover Groom), if not tremendously magical, was just right for the movie. The movie is never uninteresting and did keep me glued to the screen. It makes you smile in places with some witty and amusing scenes and also imparts some wisdom about life and any relationship. I wouldn't say that it is something worth not missing but if you are a planning on watching it, I guarantee you that your ninety minutes would not be wasted.