Coup de foudre et Imprévus

Mary Landers (Amy Smart) is having a tough time. Her boss dismisses her. Her boyfriend Carl dumps her for being predictable. On the train ride home, she has a meet cute with a stranger (Adrian Grenier). He leaves behind his phone and she sets off to return it to him. Apparently, he's the most interesting man in the world and she sees an opportunity to write a profile of him for her newspaper.

I wanted to dump on this movie until I got to the James and Carey story. It's a surprising different take on a romance from a rom-com and it really intrigued me. Nevertheless, let's start the dumping. Carl is a dud. Amy Smart is an angel. He is nowhere near her level. It's not just his plain looks. It's his character's overall dullness and some interior ugliness. She's crying about not finding a man and I roll my eyes. It's the tropiest of the romance tropes. In reality, guys are thanking god for one moment with such an angel. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she's nice on the inside. It's a romance trope joke. I would definitely consider having Grenier play Carl and he would come to his senses to woo her back in the end. James is better off pining for Carey for eternity.

For the first half, this plays more like Eat Pray Love crossed with a commercial of the Most Interesting Man in the World. The reason why I'm so intrigued with the James and Carey story is the central theme of the movie. Her article and the movie keeps asking for the meaning of love. The answer from the James and Carey story seems to suggest memories. Once her memories are gone, so goes her love for him. Please notice that he has not lost his memories. A normal romance would have him work to gain it back and it would come back because love conquers all. This one doesn't do that. Love is more fragile. In a way, love is more precious because of its fragility. It's a different take and I like that.

Lovely to see Hallmark trying to vary what I suppose you'd call their 'standard format', and it made for a refreshing change.

This film isn't perfect, it has several flaws, but for sheer entertainment value and lovely performances being given (again, not by 'Hallmark' standard players') this was good fun, and touching too.

The people who seem to dislike it are those who perhaps prefer the 'standard format'.

I do love the actress (loved Twelve Dates of Christmas), but I didn't love the movie. It was mostly a bunch of smarmy stories (and I love Hallmark, so I can take most smarmy but this was over the top) put together about this way-better-than-perfect guy that she thinks she likes, except that she doesn't know him, who was conveniently out of the country for the whole movie. Meanwhile her male best friend/roommate (who is one of the regular cast of Hallmark guys) was being kind and supportive and always there for her. You know how in a Hallmark movie, even if there is an ex and a new guy and a guy best friend, it's always clear who the girl will end up with. Well, not this one. Does she fall in love with the perfect guy she's never talked to in person? Does she fall in love with the super nice roommate or best friend (I even watched the beginning again, and it didn't explain their relationship at the start of the movie)? I won't give spoilers, but I didn't know the answer until late in the movie. I was so unsure that I wasn't rooting for either of them, so when she picked, I actually didn't care.

Mary (Amy Smart) has been with her boyfriend Carl for six years and works on a newspaper called the Bugle. As she tells it to a pal, Carl wants to talk to her about "something special" at dinner and speculates its a proposal. Unhappily, he DUMPS HER. In his words, life with her is boring, down to the cheese ravioli she always orders at this particular restaurant. He wants excitement and he is starting with a red convertible and the chance to chase women. Mary is stunned but, on the subway home, she makes eye contact with a handsome stranger (Adrian Grenier). They smile and sigh. By happenstance, this man, James, leaves his tablet on the train car and Mary ends up taking it home, as the best chance to return it. Not only this, Mary is assigned to work up a Valentine story for her boss and is ALSO writing a story on photographer James to land a cushier job at a higher profile paper. To do this, she will interview a list of James' friends, as found on his tablet, and see HIM AS OTHERS SEE HIM. From his waitress pal who turned her life around with James help to the sky diving instructor who gives Mary a piece of the action James' enjoys, a clear picture of James as the ultimate good guy emerges. Mary is falling in love with him from afar. But, whoa! With all her new adventures and habits, Carl, who lives in her building, may want her back! This lovely, darling movie has two great stars in Smart and Grenier, who appears in many flashbacks and interesting siturations. They alone are enough to keep the movie interesting. In addition, other cast members, scenery, costumes, script and direction merit applause. As romcoms go, LAFG is near the top of the heap.

While most hall mark movies have nearly identical plot lines that can be figured out within fifteen minutes, this isn't one of them. it is actually an original concept for a romance - the man and women see each other on a lightrail train where he forgets his phone. since the man is leaving for paris for a few weeks, he suggests she gets to know him through the contacts in his phone; the two don't actually meet until he gets back. for a hallmark movie, I give it a ten for stepping outside hallmark's comfort zone but for movies in general, an eight due to some story difficulties and complete lack of chemistry between the two in their few shared minutes of screen time.