Amore tra le righe

The story opens with a bride and groom kissing at their marriage service but you only get to see the face of the bride. This is a clue for us. We are going to have to figure out as we watch the film which guy is going to end up being the groom. The picture on the front of the video box has already showed us a bride being kissed from one side by Schwimmer and simultaneously from the other by Lee so we know the race for romance is going to be between the two of them. (This release, with Dutch subtitles, has a different picture to the US video/ IMDb picture.)

Yet in the first five minutes Linda the publisher tells us, not once, but twice that she introduced the bride and groom. We cut to a flashback of her introducing the two of them to each other, just in case we still don't get it. Then within another five minutes Jay the writer (Lee) is introducing Sam, his editor (Avital) to Max the sports caster and general foul-mouthed ignoramus (Schwimmer). IF the publisher is telling us the truth, doesn't this just kinda rule Max out of the contest for the first person to kiss the bride? Or have I missed something here?

This film is about as predictable as trying to guess which kind of white meat will feature most often on Thanksgiving dinner tables this year. I'll tell you; it will be turkey. And this movie sure is one.

But it is not just the plot and direction that are hugely lacking. Schwimmer is totally unbelievable and badly miscast as Max. His mouth moves, the words come out, but they lack any conviction whatsoever. The character of Jay the writer is such a whiney loser (with possibly the worst hairstyle in recent movie history) that I began to dread every screen appearance he made. He seemed to communicate in a series of whinging questions: "What are you doing here?" "So what??" "And??" I have absolutely no idea why the two of them were friends; they had nothing in common and were always bitching at each other. The script was very weak in places: Jay's explanation of why he had introduced Max to Sam provoked for me the biggest guffaw of the film (one of the very few). Best part of the film? The Harry Connick Jr. song over the opening credits.

Overall, it gets a 3; a waste of my time and money - it was I who was the FOOL for not reading Roger Ebert's review BEFORE going to the video shop. If you are looking for a nice romantic comedy get While You Were Sleeping, The Philadelphia Story, As Good As It Gets or anything else on the IMDb list of top 50 Romance films.

every character in this film is totally dislikeable, I very rarely agree with Leonard Maltin but this movie is definitely awful. The David Schwimmer character is more likeable than the Jason Lee character but not very much, which doesnt work because Lee is supposedly the "hero" of the story. He's whining, pathetic and annoying. In reality, neither deserves to get the girl.

The story is told as a flashback from Linda Streicher (Bonnie Hunt) at their wedding. Max (David Schwimmer) is a womanizing sleaze. Jay (Jason Lee) is his best friend. Jay introduces Sam (Mili Avital) from work to Max and they hit it right off. Three weeks later, they are set to marry.

David Schwimmer is completely miscast as the womanizing stud who's every girl's dream. Somebody really needs to stub him with that toothpick. Maybe they should have switched his role with Jason Lee. And without any spoilers, let's just say the scheme breaks all kinds of bro code. And it's completely manufactured strictly for rom-coms. The jokes all fall flat. Mili Avital is functional as the lead, but considering they had the much funnier Judy Greer, and hotter Kari Wuhrer in the same movie, she pales in comparison. Jason Lee is the only one that does a great job. He plays a slightly nerdy lovable writer. Only he needs better partners to play opposite to.

I didn't have expectations for this one. I watched it on LATE local t.v. But the cast really had me intrigued. David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, the beautiful Mili Avital, Vanessa Angel, Mili Avital among others deliver a great performance. The cast is really good and seems that they had great chemistry between them.

The movie had the occasional funny situations and some smart dialogs. Then I thought I was watching an episode of "Friends". The acting, dialogs, and even direction made this look like a sitcom.

Still I have a good time with this movie. It's funny and romantic at some points. Of course, with the typical American humor.

Give it a try, I can see why it's considered to be an underrated comedy.

A delightful romantic comedy, told in flashback from the wedding of two of the main characters by a guest who was responsible for bringing them together. David Schwimmer (best known as the meek Ross from the hit series "Friends") is cast WAY against type as the womanising, foul-mouthed, five-o'clock-shadowed bachelor who feels it's time for him to settle down. His best friend, played by Jason Lee, is trying to pick himself up after a painful breakup from a long-term relationship, and does so by writing a spiteful novel about his experiences with his ex. His book editor, played by Mili Avital, is also his platonic confidant and one day, he decides to introduce her to Schwimmer's character.

Needless to say, this is the start of a 'bizarre love triangle', with some very funny plot twists as well as some tugging of emotions. All three main characters are excellent, and this makes for quite an enjoyable film - something like a straighter, cleaner version of Chasing Amy, if anyone's looking for comparisons.