Seven Girlfriends

This movie made me feel good. It is not a masterpiece but still it has an over all quality as entertainment that runs the risk to be overseen. It deals with the most common angst of true love. Love problems have an impact on our daily life. This movie deals with many of the problems but in a shallow, American, Hollywood style. So what? The acting is on a basic level as the directing but… I never had a feeling that any one in the movie was in lack of genuine acting skills. They did a fine job and there is a lot more to give from all of the main actors. This movie is an example of easy to digest motion picture art form as entertainment suitable for any one to take part of.

Okay, maybe the name Tim Daly would scare you off from watching this movie, but trust me. This movie is so much better than all of Jennifer Aniston's and David Schwimmer's movies combined. This movie is cleverly written and full of a series of surprising and comical twists and turns.

The cast may not be your typical movie picks. Yet Paul Lazzarus wrote and directed this movie well. Tim Daly was surprisingly good as Jesse, a 32 year old bachelor whose former-fiance dies, and he tracks down his former girlfriends to find out where he went wrong. And believe me, when you see this movie, his girl trouble turns out to be more than just bad luck.

Some of the most hilarious scenes come when his answering machine messages get saved by one of his girlfriends, and a certain scene with another one of his former girlfriends' daughter. I can't tell you the specifics of these scenes, but I guarantee you, it will be funny.

The acting is done very well, the script is well written, and this is in no way like High Fidelity. It may not have exactly gotten "Titanic" advertising, but it is a must-see. See it when you get the chance.

This movie was about a man's search to find out what he is doing wrong in his relationships with women. This subject is intriguing because all of us men want to know how to keep that special woman in our lives. Although the answers were not really found and the film was not all that revelatory, I still got a chuckle seeing Tim Daly trying to sort through his mistakes and find out what went wrong. A good supporting cast helped the movie move along smoothly, and I must admit there are some very beautiful women in this film which made me stick around until the end. Overall, a good film, especially for men, who would like to put themselves in another guy's shoes to see how one man tries to improve his relations with the opposite sex.

Viewers looking for a fun, easy-going film are likely to be wary of selecting a small-budget independent film. Will it be too "arty?" Too obscure? Just plain lousy? At a screening I recently attended, Paul Lazarus, the director of Seven Girlfriends, noted that this film was consciously produced to be a commercial movie: accessible and enjoyable. On both counts, it succeeds admirably.

Tim Daly is charming as Jesse, the protagonist who is so frustrated with unsuccessful relationships that he decides to seek out, one by one, each his ex-girlfriends and figure out what went wrong. Laura Leighton is a pleasure, too, as the most meaningful of Jesse's loves, despite spending the majority of her screen time in flashbacks. Melora Hardin has a somewhat smaller role, but she shines while onscreen, making each of her scenes count. And yes, that's really her singing. All in all, despite a lack of marquee names, nary a weak performance is to be found.

The film is by no means a masterpiece, nor it does it ever aspire to be one. Yes, there are themes of maturity, loss, and forgiveness, and all these are treated respectfully and tenderly, but they never weigh down upon the energy and sweetness that the movie exudes. There is a wonderful blend of true emotional significance, clever plot surprises, and outright hilarious scenes.

Some "been-there-done-that's" pop into the film from time to time, and it's true that Seven Girlfriends won't change your life or leave you deeply moved. But as romantic comedies go, it far outclasses most of the lifeless schlock churned out by bigger studios. It will take you on a delightful ride, perhaps toss a few insights your way, and leave you with a smile on your face.

"Seven Girlfriends", has many moments of potentially inspired comedy each of which are dampened to the point of being merely ok by the TV-style direction of Paul Lazaras. Oddly enough, Lazaras also had a hand in the very screenplay he almost ruins with his mediocre direction (but before handing out the Pulitzer, it should be noted that the basic plot of this film--an immature man seeks out old girlfriends to find out why he is incapable of maintaining a relationship--is very, very similar to Nick Hornby's 1996 novel "High Fidelity", itself recently made into a superior film by Steven Frears).

In the hands of a director less hack-ified by his TV experience, and with a more interesting lead player than the similarly TV-bland Timothy Daly, the screenplay of "Seven GF's", as written, with its blend of heart-felt sentiment and gross-out humor, could have been a big, big, "Something About Mary" hit. And before anyone who's a fan of this film jumps me for comparing the tame final product "7GFs" became to a Farrely Brothers movie, lets not forget the scene in "7GFs" where a character creams in his pants during a mild good-night kiss. AND lets not forget how bland the director made the moment. I mean, really--how do you make that kind of thing bland?!

SO, time to do a remake. Get the Farrelys (or at least a director who hasn't been turned to mush by directing too many TV shows) and get a star who has some kind of...I don't know...charisma, or talent, or sense of humor, or light behind his eyes or something! I mean, nothing against Daly as an actor--for TV he's fine. But he's not an interesting person to watch; he gives a perfect reading of someone you would get bored with at a party. Give us Ben Stiller, or John Cusack--somebody with a spark. Somebody who can make us laugh, and think, and occasionally cringe with recognition.

At least when you see a really BAD movie made from a good screenplay, the script gets buried--you can't really tell there was any potential. But when you see a mediocre movie made out of a good screenplay, all you can think about as you watch it is--"man, that SHOULD have been good!"

This one should have been good.