Nadine in Date Land

This made-for-TV movie was extremely disappointing. It was a worse-for-wear version of "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" and "Matchmaker;" aged and unappealing.

The plot was cheesy and unrealistic. The acting was lazy at best. The script? - Who wrote this piece, anyway? Amie Steir. Perhaps she should stick to doing shorts. There was very little character chemistry (why, Swoozie Kurtz, why?).

Is anyone else sick and tired of seeing Garofalo as the clumsy unattractive female? 1) She's attractive. 2) It's overdone.

If she's scrambling for a paycheck, fine. OK. But is she? And if so, I find it sad that she would stoop so low.

"Nadine" left me bored; sad for women out there in the dating world. Surprisingly, though I love slapstick and physical gags as a rule, there was absolutely no humor to be found in this movie.

There are many things one can criticize in the script of this movie. The basic sweet stalker premise, the predictable twists and turns, some stock characters and contrived situations. But the movie is sprightly and funny and contains a typically charming performance by Janeane.

The basic idea is actually a typical wacky plot to get the guy, and if it seems creepy it's because of a mix of more knowledge about stalkers than we had when Bringing Up Baby was made and the technology angle that has Garafalo breaking various federal laws for love. Still, the movie is so nicely paced that one isn't given to much time to ponder what sort of person would really do this, and the movie glides by effortlessly on charm and witty banter. It's really good enough to be a theatrical movie, certainly as good and possibly better than The Matchmaker (although not perhaps quite as good as Cats & Dogs), and its a shame its a made-for-basic-cable movie that won't be seen by all the people who would enjoy it.

Recommended.

What on earth is Janeane Garofalo doing in this movie? I thought I could enjoy watching her in just about anything, but this movie proved otherwise. This is bad even by "made for television" standards. The plot is far-fetched at best, the jokes are predictable and not particularly funny -- mostly consisting of torturing the title character with one excruciating incident after another. Tamala Jones was the only good thing about this movie, and even she was pent in by stereotypes at every turn. What a waste of talent all around. I would say that I hope this is this low point in Garofalo's body of work, but I honestly can't imagine what could be worse.

This is a really bad, made for TV movie for the Oxygen network. Made for TV movies are generally below par, but this one is 400 notches below that. I couldn't even make it through the whole thing. It's extremely depressing to watch, because it's so badly written and directed. Seeing Janeane Garofalo in this tripe makes it especially painful as well. Knowing how articulate and intelligent she can be, it hurts to see her in this "film". Maybe she had bills to pay. She deserve better material, a lot better. She has a cult fan base, and perhaps they're willing to see her in any type of setting. I'm not, but I would love to see her in something brilliant. The fact that this is out on DVD proves that they will put just about anything on DVD.

Nadine in Dateland follows the well-worn groove of many a past romantic comedy. It's so typical that you will have no problem predicting what will come next. If the characters weren't so appealing the film would be completely mediocre. However, Janene Garofalo definitely helps the movie out with her goofy loser of a character who can give other people great advice about relationships but fails utterly at them herself.

Brad Rowe as the object of her affections is nothing special but rather charmingly ordinary. Swoosie Kurtz definitely chews scenery as Janene's avaricious mother but actresses of Kurtz's stature chew it with such panache. Finally, I must mention Julie Claire who plays the "scheming other woman". While Claire's performance doesn't break new ground, it is refreshing to see a character with so much self-confidence that she doesn't bother to disguise her malice. Magda(the character) is nasty but she's got such style that you can ALMOST understand why Rowe's character would be attracted to her.

Ultimately, if your expectations aren't too high, you'll enjoy the film. Just don't expect too much.