L'amour en équation

I believe this will ultimately be regarded as one of Ryan's best, no matter where it stands today or no matter how badly it might have bombed at the box office.

Why? Because it's unabashedly everything her other 'cute' movies play at doing; because Tim Robbins is simply brilliant; because Einstein's friends are so good; because Tony S is nothing short of brilliant; and because Walter Matthau is perhaps the real star.

There are memorable quotes you will read about in this section, but they don't really work unless you see them being delivered.

This is only a romp, and it's only for fun, but it has a strong underlying message delivered by Matthau towards the end.

It's very well acted; and if you think Ryan's character is a bit unreal, fine: it is. But that's what you get for the price of admission.

The love story here is cute and Tim Robbins has some nice moments, but the reason to watch the movie is Walter Matthau as Albert Einstien. (Meg Ryan has a typical Meg-Ryan-nice-girl performance. What that means, exactly, is up to the reader to decide.) Matthau makes the physicist humble, scheming, fun, and generally endearing. Plus, he and his peers have most of the great lines (e.g. "Don't let your brain interfere with your heart".)

One of those films with a great central idea and a fantastic cast that somehow just doesn't work. Why? Don't know. Possibly the script? Possibly the lack of chemistry? I've watched it a few times- each time expecting to "get it" this time. Not terrible- but disappointingly mediocre.

Matthau is wonderful as Albert Einstein in this love story from Fred Schepsi. Car mechanic Robbins falls for quirky Ryan, with the help of the great Einstein and his cronies. It's a fun story idea and all the performances are well paced and delivered.

Catherine Boyd (Meg Ryan) is the niece of Albert Einstein (Walter Matthau) and engaged to pompous professor James Moreland (Stephen Fry). Catherine and James start having car trouble. Ed Walters (Tim Robbins), Bob Rosetti (Tony Shalhoub), and Frank (Frank Whaley) are working in the garage. Ed falls head over heels for Catherine. Einstein intervenes with his scientist friends Nathan Liebknecht (Joseph Maher), Kurt Gödel (Lou Jacobi), and Boris Podolsky (Gene Saks) to perfect a Grand Design. Louis Bamberger (Charles Durning) is the head of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

The rom-com formula is often derided but there is a reason why everyone keeps repeating it. Catherine and Ed need much more heat in their first meeting. The romance is too one-sided and sputters along. They really don't have enough time together. Even queen Meg Ryan cannot drive this rom-com at full speed. Ed spends more time with Einstein than her. The standout is Walter Matthau and his gang of elderly gentlemen. They are fun and able to deliver a few funny moments. It's more of a hybrid between a rom-com and a buddy movie. This sorta works and has some fun doing it.