Someone Like You...

Ashley Judd stars in `Someone Like You', a pleasant romantic comedy that lets her stretch her acting chops. Judd's recent films, `Eye of the Beholder' and `Double Jeopardy', placed her in mortal danger and were deadly serious, to say the least. Her current project gives her a lighter air portraying a young working woman charged with the task of getting interesting guests for a morning talk show hosted by Diane (Ellen Barkin). In the film's humorous introduction, Jane (Judd) explains the Old cow/new cow theory that she applies to men and their relationships with women. Basically, The theory says that once a bull mates with a cow (old cow) subsequently he only wants another Cow (new cow). At the job she falls for Ray (Greg Kinnear). She is the new cow to him. Meanwhile, she shares an apartment with Eddie (charismatic Hugh Jackman, recently of X-Men). Complications ensue and the finale is predictable. Performances are on the mark and the settings in Manhattan are real (not faux Toronto) adding to the film's charm. In addition, the men are treated fairly, not making this a total chick flick. There is also a sparkling performance by Marisa Tomei as Jane's best friend. The costumes are also what a $40,000/yr. salary could afford, as opposed to Armani and other designer duds. As directed by Tony Goldwyn (the bad guy in `Ghost') `Someone Like You' is a delightful way to spend a couple of hours. There are no surprises, some smiles and chuckles, and you'll feel good because the characters are basically nice folks.

It's nice to go to a fancy restaurant where you can sit down and have a big, juicy steak with all the trimmings, or a gourmet meal served on fine china. But sometimes you just feel like checking out the pizza buffet, and when the atmosphere is right and the pizza turns out to be perfect, it can be every bit as satisfying as haute cuisine. And that's the way it is with `Someone Like You,' directed by Tony Goldwyn and starring Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear and Hugh Jackman. If you just want to relax and be entertained, with a movie that's not too challenging and let's you just go with the flow, then you've come to the right buffet. Ashley Judd is Jane Goodale, who begins a relationship with new co-worker Ray (Kinnear) that goes so well so quickly that she thinks it's going to last forever. And when it suddenly goes south for no apparent reason, she is crushed. Why did Ray jilt her? Was it just her, or is this just the way `Men' are? Her musings on the subject ultimately lead to the formulation of what she calls the `New Cow' theory, which basically states that once men, like bulls, have had the cow, they move on to yet another `new' cow, leaving the `old' cow behind. Realizing, of course, that lacking sufficient data her concept would never hold up to any real scientific scrutiny, she is afforded the chance to study it further when-- due to the circumstances of her breakup with Ray-- she finds herself without an apartment, and moves in with another co-worker, Eddie (Jackman). And Eddie is a notorious womanizer who seems to have a `new cow' every other day. Along the way, as Jane draws her final conclusions, there are some memorable-- and at times, humorous-- moments, like when Jane revives one of her old cheerleader routines for Eddie. But whether or not she is able to prove her theory doesn't really make any difference; the important thing is, you'll have a good time going along with her while she tries.

There's nothing very deep here, the plot is familiar in the genre of romantic comedy, and Goldwyn certainly doesn't break any new ground with it. He keeps things moving right along, but uses a straightforward approach to tell the story that is fairly unimaginative and lacks the distinction of say, a Nora Ephron film. Still, it's a good bit of entertainment, carried by the engaging performances of Judd and Jackman, which alone makes it worth the price of admission. Judd is a wholesome beauty with a natural appeal, and she can act; Jackman is charismatic and has a definite screen presence. And there's chemistry between the two of them that make it work. There's no real surprises along the way, but it's like taking your favorite scenic drive; you've seen it all before, but it's pleasant and fun, and in the end you're glad you took the trip.

The supporting cast includes Ellen Barkin (Diane), Marisa Tomei (Liz), Matthew Coyle (Staff Member), Hugh Downs (Himself) and LeAnna Croom (Rebecca). When you put it all into perspective, you realize that `Someone Like You' is actually a real treat. And Goldwyn, though he may not have given it that `special' touch, should be given credit for delivering a solid, uplifting and entertaining movie that is well worth seeing. It may not be in the same league as `Return To Me,' or `You've Got Mail,' but if you've ever been subjected to bottom-of-the-genre-feeders like `The Bachelor,' or `The Wedding Planner,' you'll definitely appreciate this one for what it is. It's warm and funny, and it'll leave you with a good feeling inside and a smile on your face. And that, my friends, is the magic of the movies. I rate this one 7/10.

I went into this movie, thinking, "Great, chick flick!". But I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the fact that I just adore Ashley Judd, this is a really fun, funny, and smart movie. Judd and Jackman's scenes are truly charming, and their chemistry is undeniable--they look so great together, you almost wish it wasn't just a movie. And Jackman, who is an Aussie, gives off an amazing accent, amongst some serious thespian skill.

The movie is one of those "war between the sexes" type movies. There's a little heckling back and forth, but I think it adds to the movie's charm, and it's tasteful--no bashing or anything like that. But I think it's one of those feel good movies. It's just really fun to watch.

So, I honestly recommend it, definitely a good movie.

I rented this film only because Hugh Jackman is in it. Since I don't even remember it being in the theaters (though my daughter does), I assumed it was going to be a bit lame. And if I had read the reviews I've found posted here first, I would have been even MORE hesitant about watching it. Instead, I quickly found myself being led into a satirical funny movie, that had me laughing aloud (I'm the type of person that DOES think it's funny to hear chirping birds when Ashley Judd first stares into the smarmy but cute eyes of Greg Kinnear, while the word 'Attraction' is flashed across the screen like a card from a Silent Movie). I thought Ashley Judd was a great comedienne in this film, especially the scene where she was drunk at the bar. She plays angry loud drunk female very well. There were also plenty of sight gags. Am I the only one who laughed at the sight of Hugh Jackman nailing up a blanket over the horrendous hole in the wall in his apartment? Ashley having to schlep her luggage down the street to her new apartment? The seating arrangements in the conference room at the workplace, showing the changes in each couple's relationships? Honest, I laughed at almost every scene in this film. It turns out this movie is based on the book "Animal Husbandry," a witty little novella that can be read in a day, which is written like a journal in the life of Jane. In the book, the character of "Eddie" remains always intriguing, always fascinating, and always a bit out of reach. Hugh Jackman attempts to put some of that swagger and inscrutable mystery into his characterization. It's an intriguing role, and not really an easy one to play, but Hugh as usual does a great job. His character is emphasized much more in the film than in the book. Greg Kinnear, as "Ray" plays it a little too tongue-in-cheek, but the scenes where he's talking to the camera are priceless. And Ashley Judd plays 'Jane' in a more sympathetic and believable light than the heroine of the novel was portrayed. To me, the movie flowed well, and the ending was just fine. It's fun to watch the 'Alternate Ending' on the DVD, though, with Director's Commentary. Once you've heard the director explain that wet cotton-snow, green trees in January, and bad rain special-effects mean an ending has to be trashed, you can't help but laugh. Not only that, but Hugh Jackman looks good wet, too.

Someone Like You had so much promise. The trailers looked so charming and funny yet when you actually sit down and see the movie from start to finish you're left wondering what happened. You have an incredibly talented actress in Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman is going to be the next big star from Australia. The rest of the cast is no slouch either but I can't help but believe that this movie lost out on writing.

Someone Like You is about finding out what makes men do the things they do in relationships (or the beginning of relationships) and of course falling in love. Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) is a producer for a talk show that can't just seem to find a long lasting relationship. We meet her at the beginning of the movie as she meets the new executive producer, Ray Brown (Greg Kinnear). Sparks instantly ignite between the two and they soon enter into a serious relationship that has them moving in together. No sooner than that happens, Brown breaks up with Goodale, plunging her into a depressive state that has her searching to find out why this happened.

Did you notice that nowhere in that little summary did I mention Hugh Jackman's character, Eddie Alden? And that's the odd thing about this movie. The trailers clearly show that Judd and Jackman are the main characters of this movie (and of course, end up together) but when you actually see it, Jackman isn't in it nearly as prominently as the trailer indicates. For most of the first half of the movie we see Judd and Kinnear and we're introduced to Jackman's character as the resident playboy of the company but that's about the extent of it. There's enough dialogue that we get a sense of what Eddie's like but not a lot. After the break-up between Judd and Kinnear we begin to see more of Judd and Jackman but only as roommates, nothing more. There are little hints here and there that something is developing but it isn't nearly enough to cause them to fall madly in love with each other by the end. For a romantic comedy there wasn't enough interaction between the characters that are supposed to fall in love with each other.

There's not much to say about Ashley Judd. She's an incredible actor and does well with the material she's given. Marisa Tomei is in this movie as Judd's best friend and she does a wonderful job with the amount of screen time she's given. She seems to be making a bit of a comeback in the movie industry and hopefully we see more of her. Kinnear is good as the consummate `nice-guy' but we've seen him do this role many times before, so much so that I'm getting the feeling that he's getting type-cast, you think? Jackman's last movie was X-men and he's turning out to be quite the good actor. He doesn't have a large number of lines and in many of the scenes, he just gives a look or a quirky smile but he's able to say a lot with those looks. He also has a talent for American accents, which will help him with his career in Hollywood. Look for big things to come from this actor.

Overall, this movie is mediocre. The potential was there but somewhere along the way, it suffered a bit of an identity crisis. Is it a romantic comedy or a drama or maybe even a dramatic comedy??? Who knows? This is a good matinee to go to but not worth full admission.