Año Bisiesto

Sometimes after seeing (and enjoying) a particular film several times over a period of years -- which BTW is the real acid test of a film, ie, whether it holds up -- you revisit the IMDb database and discover that, for whatever reason, the critics of the day did not agree.

To which you may be inclined to quote a line of dialog from LEAP YEAR, and respond, the critics are "full of pooh." And indeed they are.

This one has it all -- a subtle script that leads you rather than shoves you, great direction, great stars, and great scenery.

It also features Adams at what may be the peak of her beauty. It would be an understatement to say that "the camera loved her." It would be more accurate to say that, if a camera could talk, it would have asked for her number by the last day of shooting.

The ultimate compliment -- gets better with each viewing.

I'm a gruff kind of guy who finds romantic comedies formulaic and cheesy. I never sort of watched Pretty Woman, for goodness sake. And I'm sure the Irish hate it for all the oirishness. But as a romantic comedy, and that is what this is - not an unforgettable, epic movie, but a romantic comedy - it's pretty fine! Left me with a nice feel afterwards, I wasn't even a wee bit annoyed over inconsistencies and stereotypical characters!

This film is about an American woman who decides to fly to Ireland to surprise her boyfriend, and to propose to him because an Irish tradition allows it.

"Leap Year" is a predictable romantic comedy that captures female psychology well. I can see women loving this film so much because it is so romantic and full of love. Amy Adams acts well in her role, she portrays her desire to be married so well that even by looking at her face, you know she wants to get a proposal so much.

"Leap Year" showcases amazing Irish scenery, with all the right colours, composition and saturation. I am also impressed by the technical side of it, as the filmmakers paid a lot of details into location scouting, set decoration and composing a scene. It makes "Leap Year" visually so pleasing to watch.

(2010) Leap Year DRAMA/ ROMANTIC COMEDY

Sometimes over-the-top with plenty of awkward moments more than the film can handle is still quite a passable watch which demands some reconstructing or editing! This is yet another romantic comedy centering on an Irish folklore tradition when on Feb 29 every four years has females proposing marriage to their spouses! In this case it's actress Amy Adams and her misadventures into attempting to do just that, and at the same time build a rapport with someone else which is actor Matthew Goode who is being paid to guide her. It's basically another one of those films where viewers are aware about it's ending without knowing what it can offer in the middle which can sometimes showcase some really good moments, as well as avoidable awkward ones! It also can be looked at as an Irish rendition of a much more superior film called "The Sure Thing" starring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga made in 1985. Amy Adams is still a wonderful to watch which kept this film from going under.

I saw Leap Year at a screening before the holidays, and found it much more "enchanting" than the typical romantic comedy. The story line is simple - basically, it is "It Happened One Night" in Ireland: apartment "stager" Amy Adams, tired of waiting for her uptight, longtime boyfriend to propose, decides to meet him on business in Dublin on Leap Day when tradition states that a man must accept a woman's proposal. Weather forces her to be diverted, first to Wales and then to the west coast of Ireland, she has to be driven to Dublin by and disgruntled bitter local.

But while the story is straight-ahead, the movie is extremely charming due to the terrific chemistry in between Amy Adams and Matthew Good. Whereas other romantic comedies pander to the lowest common denominator with base humor, this one feels much more like "4 Weddings and a Funeral" or "Local Hero." The characters seem simple at first, but we see the depth beyond them as the movie goes on. The comedy is always sharp, and special kudos to the actors who play the superstitious friends of Matthew Good, but this movie never forces in the pratfalls and dumb jokes that we see in your typical romantic comedy movie. And when there a bigger laughs (a scene at a wedding is particularly funny), the movie delivers.

There are a couple of slow spots, especially at the very beginning, but the last 20 minutes are funny, touching and real. I think it is a very good movie for our times right now, with a message that rebukes control and superficiality and all the trappings of what most of feel makes for a successful life. And our audience was with it throughout, and applauded at the end.