I Love Trouble

When a train crash happens, veteran newspaperman Peter Brackett is sent from the Tribune to cover the story despite him being a columnist. At the scene of the crash he meets the beautiful young reporter Sabrina Peterson who he tries to hit on without much success, before dismissing her as an inexperienced youth. The next morning she scoops him in the Globe, getting an angle on the story that he didn't have. This sparks a rivalry between the two journalists but, as they find out more about the story they find themselves in mortal danger and are forced to form an uneasy partnership.

In case you are film-illiterate, this film has even called a character `Thin Man' to help you realise what it is clearly aspiring to be. The fast talking, battling characters aspire to be like those in the Thin Man series. However the main problem here is that this film has none of the wit, spark or fun of that series at it's best; instead it is all a bit lifeless and flat. The plot is good but it doesn't decide to be a mystery thriller until very late in the game; the final set piece is good but, because the film had been aiming for `playful' up till that point, it just doesn't work out well and it can't just suddenly create tension out of nowhere.

The rest of the film tries to be light and witty but it doesn't manage it either. A major fault in this regard is with the script; it doesn't have any really good lines or sequences. As much as I accept that Woody Allen is not everyone's cup of tea, he would have been the perfect part of a writing team here - witty dialogue in The Thin Man style is really his thing. The other problem is with the cast. Nolte and Roberts may both be big names, but they sadly have ZERO chemistry and this is a big problem. The two have no lines and their lack of spark just makes it worse, to compare this with the Thin Man series does that a great disservice. The support cast fares a bit better and contains quite a few famous faces such as Rubinek, Rebhorn, Loggia, Dukakis, Levy, Martin Smith and Gleason. They all do OK but they can't help the failings in the script, atmosphere and in the two stars.

Overall this is just about watchable but it's hard to ignore what it clearly intended to be. It is pretty much a big failure as it fails to amuse, excite or entertain on anywhere near the level that it was aiming for.

'I Love Trouble' is a fairly entertaining film, that offers some interesting moments in the goings-on. What really stands tall in this film, are the performances by it's popular cast.

'I Love Trouble' tells the story of how 2 Competing journalists at rival papers fall in love, while exposing a government-involved scandal.

Written by the husband-and-wife team of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, The writing in the first-hour is convincing & moves easily. But, in the second hour it falters and dips for quite some time, but the culmination is nicely done. Charles Shyer's direction is fair. Cinematography & Editing are functional. The Action Sequences are interesting.

Performance-Wise: Nick Nolte is terrific, as always. Julia Roberts is equally superb too. In the supporting cast, Olympia Dukakis, Robert Loggia & Saul Rubinek are noticeable.

On the whole, A One-Time Watch!

1st watched 2/8/2002 - 6 out of 10 (Dir-Charles Shyer): Nolte/Roberts starpower make this rather convuluted, unbelievable story watchable. A very simple title for a very over-the-top complex story that starts with two rival reporters covering a train de-railment in Chicago and ends with having something to do with a chemical that helps cows produce milk at an early age. As silly as the story plot is, we follow Nolte as a well-known name for the Chicago Chronicle, and Roberts as a newcomer for the Chicago Globe with both of them having one thing on their minds - their egos!! The movie starts out slow but once the two heroes start acting like they're actually trying to work together, things heat up. The exchanges between the two are comical and classic at times. Roberts seems to always to be matched up with some of the best male actors in Hollywood and she usually comes out holding her own, this is no exception and the movie, it's ok too.

Well, I wouldn't exactly describe this as a timeless classic, a thought provoking movie, or one of the legendary love stories of the silver screen. Still, it's a fun romance and an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

The tale revolves around two rival Chicago reporters, one relatively novice, Sabrina Peterson, the other the more seasoned, well known Peter Brackett, who are both hot on the trail of a train derailment story. Of course competition between them is intense (and so at times is the chemistry) as the two exchange false leads, fibs, barbs, and witty repartee. Lots of predictable action, chases, and mystery as to the identity of the bad guys.

The lovely, always endearing Julia Roberts plays the journalistic sharp cookie, Sabrina, with Nick Nolte convincing in the role of her rival, Brackett. At least the pair are not hopping into bed within the first half hour (in refreshing contrast to most modern films), leaving a little time for storytelling and character development.

This is definitely describable as a "flick" (for guys or chicks); its spirit is in keeping with its title. Personally, I'm a great Julia Roberts fan. This isn't her best picture but, nevertheless, it's quite watchable.

OK, once you get past the age difference of nolte and roberts, the film is enjoyable. I would have rather seen someone a little younger in Nolte's role, but other than that, i found the film enjoyable and well written. Where the film struggles however is editing. I actually think the film is about 20 minutes too long. There are a lot of traveling too and fro scenes that could have been edited out.

Where the film succeeds is the acting quality. As I said above, the age difference in the leads is distracting, the chemistry in the actors is very likable (including a nice set of guest spots in the beginning, including Robert Loggia). Many of the montages used to illustrate the developing rivalry are well done and the clues in the film are very intelligent.

Ultimately though, the best part of the movie is the fact that it is clean. A nice tribute to the tracy/hepburn days.