Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

I honestly thought I would like this film. I'm pretty much the target demographic (17 year old girl with a liking for romantic comedies and good looking boys) so I thought this film would be a great way to kill a couple of hours on a boring thursday night.

And to be honest, the plot isn't too bad. It's a predictable love story, but then again predictable love stories are the reason why I fell in love with classics such as Dirty Dancing. This story is sweet and the ending did have me going "awwww...". But let me put it his way: it will only make you "awww" if you are a chick flick fan. If you are not a chick flick fan, you'll probably have had enough sugar by the first forty five minutes. It's definitely what I like to refer to as a "Red Bull". Totally sugary and so perky, at times, it can be disturbing.

However, although I liked the story, I was totally disappointed with the acting. The acting is what shames this movie. Kate Bosworth is terrible. She's the biggest typecast of the wholesome girl next door and her squealing and vacant, wide eyed stares belong on the Bold and the Beautiful. Not on the big screen. And although she tries, Ginnifer Goodwin's character of Cathy is so flat and one dimensional. She should be slutty, but instead of any sort showing of sex appeal (the only character with sex appeal is Angelica the bartender who I truly believe is one of the best actors in the film), Cathy's dialogue is littered with overt, tacky, cringeworthy sexual innuendo. Infact, not even that. It's usually laid out on the table. But instead of laughing, you just feel like slapping her. Such a shame for Goodwin, as I was impressed with her performance in Mona Lisa Smile and this character is well beneath her talent. Josh Duhamel plays the "duh" factor to perfection. His pecs are far more of a star than he is. Enough said.

What really, really surprised me though was that I fell head over heels in love with Topher Grace and his character, Pete. He did a wonderful job conveying his jealous, unrequited love. I truly hope we see more from him, because he was the only actor in this film I didn't feel like slapping. Oh, I liked Angelica too. She was good. And of course, Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes. Always good for a laugh.

I can't really recommend this film for anyone. I think even the tween market will be disappointed with it. Hey, they might enjoy the "awww" factor. Everyone else will just walk out and have forgotten it within 15 minutes.

I admit it. I saw this movie simply because I wanted to see something light and fluffy. I got what I wanted.

Yes, it's a chick flick. Yes, it's predictable. Yes, it has the typical Hollywood ending. But the film never said it was going to be anything but that, and that's why I liked it. No political agendas. No heavy drama and/or gut-wrenching scenes. In fact, there really wasn't anything in this film that was really negative. It was just a cute, fluffy little film that was intended to make you fill light-hearted when it was over. And for me, that is exactly what it did.

Rank: 8

`Win a Date with Tad Hamilton' is a predictable fairy tale romance that skates by on the cleverness of its premise and the charm of its performances. Kate Bosworth stars as Rosalee Futch, a small town girl from West Virginia who has a mad crush on a hot Hollywood stud named Tad Hamilton. One day she enters a contest on the Internet, the prize being an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to spend an evening with her dreamboat. Rosalee, of course, wins the contest and has her magic fantasy moment, whereupon she flies back home, expecting to file the experience away in her heart as the high point of her life and then continue her humdrum existence working at the local Piggly Wiggly. What Rosalee doesn't anticipate is that Tad will be so smitten with her genuine goodness and unpretentious nature that he will wind up traveling to West Virginia in order to get to know her better. Complicating matters is the fact that Rosalee's long time friend and boss, Pete, is secretly, madly in love with her and isn't about to give her up without a fight to this fancy, flashy dude from Hollywood.

Given the premise, the makers of this film could, with a bit more self-confidence, have made a keen, hard-edged satire about the role celebrity-worship plays in the lives of ordinary folks. Instead, they've opted to take a softer, less abrasive approach, settling for a more conventional love triangle that still manages to win us over despite the formulaic nature of the story. The best part about `Win a Date with Tad Hamilton' is that it doesn't turn Tad into a boorish, self-centered jerk, which would have been so easy to do. As played by Josh Duhamel, Tad is, instead, a decent, well-meaning, good-natured young man who basically just wants the same thing out of life that we all do, namely love and commitment from that one special person. Even though we know how this triangle will most likely be resolved, the film still generates a certain amount of emotional tension because we actually come to like all three of the characters who make it up. We know Rosalee can't end up with both men, but each, in his own way, appears to be a viable alternative. This spirit of equanimity is not always the case with these types of stories.

Bosworth exudes such a healthy, radiant glow that we don't question for a second why both Tad and Pete are drawn to her. Duhamel pours on the celebrity charm without becoming smarmy and unctuous in the process. And Topher Grace nicely underplays the role of Rosalee's erstwhile secret devotee who faces a rival no Ordinary Joe should ever have to go up against.

`Win a Date with Tad Hamilton' isn't as good as it might have been had it opted for a riskier, edgier tone. But it's not bad as romantic comedies go – and in these days of `Along Came Polly,' `Alex and Emma,' `Chasing Liberty' et al., that's saying quite a bit indeed.

Okay, I wasn't born last week, so I knew the ending before the opening credits were over. But I still thought this had the chance to be original and maybe even edgy and maybe..everything it wasn't.

Girl has understandable crush on famous movie star. Movie star needs some good press so his agents get the bright idea to set him up on a date with a total stranger. Meanwhile, girls stuttering dweeb of a friend has a crush on her but has never told her, cause as I mentioned, he's a stuttering dweeb. Girl wins date (SURPRISE SURPRISE), goes to LA, and does not have the worse time of her life, and goes back home. She does NOT sleep with the movie star, which impresses him and is the best moment in the movie (when he says "Good for you" to Rosie); its him realizing she may be a person of substance, and explains why he follows her home to East Hell, West Virginia, so 'some of her goodness can rub off on him', or something to that effect. Then movie star BUYS A FARM in West Virginia, meets the girls father, and invites her back to LA to begin shooting a movie he's been dying to get.

Don't have to tell you the rest, except that Bosworth plays Rosalie like she has straw sticking out of the side of her mouth. Josh is, of course, a shallow cigarette-smoking (that's a sure indication of his lack of integrity; in the NEW Hollywood, only bad people smoke) self-absorbed ACTOR, and Topher Grace stutters and hems and haws like he has a nervous tic. He ruined what might have been decent entertainment.

There is an insight or two, as mentioned, nothing memorable or profound. In many ways, the title of the movie is the best thing about it. I like a title that tells it all, what can I say..5/10.

A grocery store checkout girl (Kate Bosworth) wins a contest to win a date with hot young "bad boy" actor, Tad Hamilton, played by Josh Duhamel. When he ends up falling in love, her life is turned upside down when he comes to her small hometown, and gets into a competition with her best friend (Topher Grace), who is also in love with her.

Generic story aside, the film is actually pretty decent. It isn't great or original but fans of the genre should enjoy it. The film works better than it should thanks to its young and charming cast. They all play likable characters and you will be rooting for them. Kate Bosworth is very charming and beautiful as Rosalee. Her character is very sweet and its hard to hate her though she may be a little too pretty for the role. Josh Duhamel plays Tad and he gives a decent performance. Topher Grace is very funny and entertaining as Pete. His sarcastic sense of humor starts getting old near the end of the film though. The supporting actors are also pretty good. Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes play Tad's agents and they both give funny performances.

Besides for the impressive cast, there isn't much more to recommend. The story is pretty stale and predictable. You can predict what will happen just by watching the trailer. The music is very annoying and corny. The dialog is very cheesy and lame. The film is also kind of dull because you know where things are going and they add a bunch of pointless scenes. Robert Luketic brought us the very enjoyable Legally Blonde but he doesn't quite score a win with this film. His direction is uneven and a bit clumsy. I'm being a little too harsh on this film. It really is a harmless romantic comedy that teenage girls should enjoy. It's also better than Chasing Liberty and the Prince and Me. In the end, fans of the genre should check this film out, everyone else should skip it. Rating 5/10