She's the One

This is the kind of movie that I like. The plot is well-written and well-directed. I like Edward Burns as an actor and writer. Even so, there are some pretty significant flaws in this execution of this wonderful idea.

The most substantial problem problem with the movie is the casting of Maxine Bahns. She is a very poor actress. Since she was cast in the earlier "The Brothers McMullen", also written and directed by Edward Burns, I assume there is a friendship that misdirected that decision.

Some of the characters don't play out quite right. The role of the brother, played my Mike McGlone, is well acted, but the writing made that character a little too two dimensional. I think there was a opportunity to create a character with a little more complexity than the wealthy, uncaring, superficial husband.

There were some good performances by actors on their way to being A-list players. Cameron Diaz turns in an exceptional performance. Jennifer Aniston also shows her acting chops. Amanda Peet also turns in a short, but well-executed performance.

In spite of some of the casting flaws and missed opportunities for some depth in characterizations, this is a very enjoyable movie. If you like character and plot-driven movies, this is a worthwhile way to spend some time.

Edward Burns second film, "She's the One", is one to be watched again and again and again. The majority of the film critics felt that Burns did not make a new movie with "She's the One" but merely an extension of "The Brothers McMullen", on the contrary. "She's the One" is a witty, interesting comedy about the problems that men face with the women in their lives. The more you watch this movie the more you will appreciate it. Edward Burns really stands out as an extraordinary actor.

A fast-moving and nimble comedy with witty dialogue, an intelligent script, well-developed characters and a credible ethnic ethos. It's unpretentious and amiable, yet truly acerbic when it needs to be. The acting is mostly first-rate.

Well done, Burns!

(I guess all of this will make the delayed-maturity stratum of movie fans truly averse to this movie...)

I'm not sure why I've rented this film 3 times in the last couple of years. The characters are well developed, Tom Petty's sound track is very good and there are the gorgeous gals of course (Diaz, Anniston, Bahns), but there's more to it. This is an excellent, but perhaps not classic, drama posing as a romantic comedy. It's about morality and responsibility in a time when there is no morality and responsibility.. about love and family in a time when the definition of these words has become blurred. It cuts pretty close to home at times.. and there are those beautiful women.

What "She's the One" lacks in terms of charm or funny moments it makes up in irritating, annoying characters and ample moments of boredom. I just don't get what anyone sees in this film. The story is basically about a bunch of unhappy people that can't get a handle on their relationships, are all either cheating on each other, screwing up their marriages or plain unpleasant. Mickey (Edward Burns) has recently gotten married to Hope (Maxine Bahns) because he's insecure about his previous girlfriend/fiancé cheating on him. His brother Francis (Mike McGlone) is cheating on his wife (Jennifer Aniston) with the woman who broke Mickey's heart, Heather (Cameron Diaz). Giving them both lousy advice is their sexist father Frank (John Mahoney), whose wife is alive but never appears on-screen.

Admittedly, there are a few laughs here and there. There's a good bit where Ed Burns' character has to convince multiple people that he isn't gay and I thought that was funny. The film is well acted with some good dialog, which I also appreciate. What I didn't like was that the story focuses mostly on depressing, unlikeable people that try and solve their petty problems in the worst ways possible. You might be thinking that bad people trying to solve their problems and failing sounds funny, and it would be…but it's never done in the far-out way you would expect in a comedy. What we have here is more of a bunch of childish immature attempts that you would find Infuriating in real life, and not the least bit amusing on-screen. When I saw the two brothers settle an argument in an incredibly immature way that it isn't even clever because it ends in a tired joke you can see coming a mile away, I grew irritated. I know I was SUPPOSED to find it funny, but I simply did not. All of the men in the film are insecure and all of the women are frustrated and unhappy in their relationships. This would be fine if you saw them change and evolve. If you find a character annoying from the start though, he or she will be just as annoying at the end of the film. I just found it incredibly hard to cheer or be interested in these characters when they don't feel like real people; they don't really seem to have dreams or ambitions and can barely deal with the situation they've been given. It gets dull following them drift aimlessly.

I'm certain that there's some kind of audience for this picture and no matter how many times I've seen it, I can never see the appeal. If someone out there knows what the deal with "She's the One" is, please let me know because I still find it insufferable. (On DVD, January 1, 2013)