Amour, Mariage et Petits Tracas

This movie just isn't very funny, endearing or involving as a dramedy. It runs out of steam early. Just aren't many funny situations. And those that could have been funny were done better before (eg the speed dating scene). There could have been better situations with the marriage counseling theme but the one with Alison Hannigan is okay.

Wanted to watch this mainly for the likable attractive cast. Unfortunately the material they are given to work with isn't good. Mandy Moore isn't the best actress but her lines aren't really that great so can't blame her. Kellan Lutz's character isn't convincing. He doesn't look like he is ready to settle down at all more like some big frat boy. Jessica Szhor's character is more likable than in Gossip Girl. James Brolin is a bit miscast. It's nice to see Jane Seymour acting again - haven't seen her since "Wedding Crashers".

Overall watch it once if you are fan of the cast but bear in mind it just isn't that good.

I like light romance comedies, but what I found most unlikable about this particular movie was Mandy Moore's character's very one-sided personality. She's been in too many movies where her characters have been irritating, one-sided, primadonna types. It's unfortunate given that she is so attractive. It's incredibly irritating to see a protagonist force her vision of what her parent's marriage should be. It was pounded again and again, just irritating, and there was no depth to it such as her showing a painful side as to why she needs to 'fix' things (ie some sense of childhood neglect), nor did it show her maturing into someone who wants their parents to be happy in their own way, without somebody, society, etc telling them what they 'should' be happy with. Who's to say anybody can tell another what makes them happy? Can't a couple go their separate ways for a few days or months, to discover their individual selves? I was more pleased with Jane Seymour's character to experience a life, grow, do new things, travel, etc apart from being some wife-servant. At least with Mandy Moore's character, she could have had some evolution in her efforts (not just that last second fake pill overdose shenanigan to manipulate her parents), to be more altruistic instead of dominating/manipulating.

The conflict with the husband regarding the manipulation was well played. Mandy's character manipulates a fake life-and-death situation to deceive his mother into not wanting to be on her own for 6 months out of her life for once. Mandy's husband called her out on this blatant manipulation and I felt that was the most honest part of the movie, how shallow, selfish the manipulation was, to judge for other people what 'should' make them happy, that it involves some stereotype instead of personal discovery/independence. The resolution of the conflict came out of nowhere. The dialogue started with Mandy's character trying to apologize, but was interrupted, as if an apology or personal change/growth was completely unnecessary. The things the husband wanted from the wife (to accept, in him) was actually nothing to do with why he was angry in the first place. She gets interrupted from her apology, he asks to be accepted, they kiss, end credits. She never got the chance to apologize and so that almost says that it was unnecessary, superficial. Messages like that are dangerous. Even with the movie being a comedy.

I found Mandy's character overall annoying/irritating and given that she felt no remorse for manipulating her parents, that she had no soul. I don't think it was Ms. Moore's fault, as that has more to do with the script and directing, hinting at emotion, providing pause, reflection, etc that the director simply did not provide. These romantic comedies that have such absurd conflict only to end in even more absurd resolution are ultimately dangerous stories of fantasy that even a lighthearted audience should not see. It only can give terrible impressions in a relationship, bad example, and make relationships more painful and illusive. At least a comedy could teach the viewers something. There was no lesson of compromise, of heart-felt communication, of acceptance, of change, of growth, etc - the conflict was sudden and the resolution was even more sudden.

Normally I don't mind watching rom-coms multiple times, but i don't think this is enjoyable to watch again. The characters were too irritating to enjoy. It reminds me of the irritation I felt with another Mandy Moore movie, License to Wed, where the conflict felt so incredibly contrived/out-of-nowhere and the helplessness of the characters (to augment the ridiculous conflict) just made it really annoying. I actually liked her better in Swinging With The Finkels, even though in that movie I found the shallow, apathetic and loyalty-less husband quite irritating.

Kellan Lutz's character is charming and likable but the same cannot be said about Mandy Moore's character. Ava is obnoxious and prideful who thinks that because she is now a marriage psychologist she knows all about marriage. Another flat character is Ava's younger sister. She is unprofessional and although they put her for comedic relief, she does not succeed. The sister is supposed to be the young wise one but the lines that they give her are too predictable. I found the plot boring, foreseeable, and unrealistic. I just did not like it but that is not to say it did not have some good scenes. In Mandy Moore's defense, her acting was fine but her lines distasteful/disagreeable. The emotions/actions she puts into her parents relationship are more of child not wanting their parents' divorce instead of an adult who can understand that sometimes relationships just do not work out.

When I found this film I knew what I was in for. A formulaic romantic comedy that should entertain all of the romantics out there. Although there is not originality there is a certain charm about the film that tops up a lot romantic comedies out there. This is not a film for a film buff to get something out off right when he leaves the theater. This is a film to enjoy while it lasts, and enjoy the beautiful people in this film. This is not a film that will define the way we make films. This is just pure entertainment. So if you go into this film with the exact mind set you will enjoy it like I did. But if you go into this film looking for career changing acting and an original plot then do not watch this film for it is only pure entertainment.

If this is the best that Dermot Mulroney can do as a director, then I can safely say that I'll pass on any future projects to which he is attached. This is another "Pottery Barn/cashmere throw" style rom com a la Nancy Meyers (with his and hers convertibles!), but her scripts are superior. This one ranks with the worst offerings on Lifetime TV-- superficial, dull and directed in a lumbering style. The lead is miscast: Mandy Moore is unbelievable as a marital counselor with a Ph.D and a thriving private practice. She has no intellectual weight, no emotional maturity and delivers her lines like a high school girl. It gets old fast. I'm not a Jew but I was offended by the way Brolin's character tries to "explore" his spirituality by taking on all the trappings of that faith and nothing else. If this "subplot" was supposed to be funny, it really wasn't. (Compare the scene in "Annie Hall" when Woody Allen decides to become a Catholic and unpacks white bread and mayo from a grocery bag.) In order to get to the end (which I had to do because of my work), I entertained myself by ticking off how many times Jane Seymour dropped her American accent in the middle of sentences (47). This is a waste of 90 mins and you're better off watching something else.