Homeland Security

It has to stop. Critics don't even go to the screenings of romantic comedies anymore. Doesn't anyone want to have a good time? Yes, most of the time a disaster is meant to happen because the industry has ran out of ideas and thus people have lost the faith in romantic comedies; but this isn't an excuse for writing reviews that sometimes indicate that critics may not have seen the film or that talk more about Meg Ryan's surgery than her performance.

"My mom's new boyfriend" stars Ryan as Marty, the mother of Henry (Colin Hanks), an FBI agent, and a woman who was once extremely fat but now when Henry comes back from a very long work trip, is completely unrecognizable. I don't know what surgeries everyone mention, but the woman Henry sees by the pool is very hot and I guess that's why a mysterious art thief (Antonio Banderas) falls for her.

I don't know why anyone would enter this film badly predisposed. Firstly, It has Meg Ryan, eternal queen of romantic comedies. Is she in a bad acting phase? Nonsense: watch "In the land of women" and "In the cut" and tell me if I'm wrong. Secondly, it has Antonio Banderas, whom I don't like but I prefer him laughing of himself and smiling rather than pretending to be serious. Here, the actor and actress have chemistry and if they were laughing of themselves it certainly made a positive effect.

What else? Colin Hanks, who showed his comedic chops in the excellent "Get over it" and in the very good "Orange County". And Selma Blair plays a delightful supporting role. Who dislikes Selma Blair? Am I selling this movie to you, by defending its participants? You bet I am. Take in consideration it's not a great movie (which romantic comedy is these days; I can accept that) and I knew nothing about its director George Gallo, who also wrote it.

Gallo seems to be a kind man. The chemistry between this 'unexpected cast' (take a good look again and you'll realize you would have never expected to see those four together) proves this; and his script, unoriginal and uncompromised, reaffirms it. The key word here is 'uncompromised', because "My mom's new boyfriend" doesn't break into new ground of the classic formulas or contains many laughable jokes (there were two or three times I truly laughed, though), but that's not where you should look.

Maybe it's too convenient, but it's as if Gallo knew that romantic comedies are taken less seriously these days, so he provides a direction that is not safe (that would be a disaster), which is what someone would do to secure a hit, but it's definitely pleasing. The thing is that Gallo makes it pleasing in the best form he could, with a fast-paced rhythm and a fun edition that accentuates it; a lineal storyline and a preoccupation for characters.

Don't be surprised if you identify with some of these beings. I'm sure you've seen them before but as complete stereotypes. "My mom's new boyfriend" is short, but in its duration finds time to construct its characters and establish their personalities by giving each one of them interesting things to say. Because I love romantic comedies I try to notice details, and I understand if by now you see me as someone not to trust when it comes to this genre. I've already learned to let myself go and forgive minimal trespasses in occasions; but I'm writing objectively, and I'm writing the truth.

"My mom's new boyfriend" is a good romantic comedy. Now tell me about the 'twist'…You couldn't have seen that one coming.

Gallo's 'My Mom's New Boyfriend' isn't half as bad as it's been made out to look. On the one had I expected something downright awful given what I'd heard but on the other hand how bad could it be if it's got Meg Ryan, Colin Hanks and Selma Blair? but hey, just because I didn't find it to be truly abysmal, by no means am I implying that it's great. The plot may be an interesting premise for a comedy but the story is silly mostly because of the poor writing. The comedic situations mostly work because of the actors. Meg Ryan, Colin Hanks and Selma Blair are solid. They do feel like a family. This isn't by any means their best movie but they make it work and watchable. Antonio Banderas's role is more of a cliché and the actor follows formula but is clearly overshadowed. Overall, it's a fun movie to watch with the family. Even though it's nowhere near a classic, there's plenty to laugh about.

first things first: Colin Hanks, as well as his character Henry Durand should have not been part of this feature; the character is way to stereotypical,i kept having such thoughts as "what a moron!" throwout the whole movie; the "actor" is probably one of the worst i have seen lately. Antonio Banderas, Meg Ryan and Selma Blair do all the work and bring the real laughs, sympathy and charm. Colin Hanks is one of the worst miss-casts i have seen in some time, and because of that the movie suffers. there are many gigs that he is literally killing off, especially in the first part.besides some of his really stuck-up idiotic dialogs, his body language and delivery are absolutely abdominal(forced at best). the movie would had been way better without him! also his role here would had been best played by Owen Wilson, as first example that comes to mind.while i enjoyed George Gallo's "ok" direction, he should pay better attention to such as an important aspects. oh my...and beside that God forbid if there are any such FBI characters , even remotely close to reality.

few other positive/negative thoughts: the introductory scene gave me a bad first impression, i got afraid this would be some "b" rated feature. another dumb scene would be the one having 30 or so FBI agents briefed on a possible theft of a statue(30...heh...give me a break)but once passing the "fat" Meg Ryan and getting the "regular" sized one, things picked up for me))) she and Antonio Banderas are interesting and fun to watch , a whole different approach as compared with "the assassin". the plot is quiet lame, the heist makes no sense at all, but good enough to work for a "feel good" comedy in the end. there is even a "twist" that only makes matters worse as seen from a plot integrity aspect. the Albanian family is the funniest "gig" i think.

well my score would 6 and that mostly because Antonio Banderas is in great shape, even if comedies are not really his domain.Meg Ryan is good too but towards end her character has nothing original to offer, too stereotypical.

i think this is the worst of Meg Ryan's movies, i'm really a big fan of her, she's one of the most gorgeous actress in Cinema, and she'll always be the queen of romantic comedy, and i liked most of her choices in the past, even the not so-good movies of her , she was able to make them worthy watching, but this film is just bad in every possible way?!

it's boring, not funny, flat and predictable . nothing in this movie is interesting nor original, it's not comedy, not romantic, not thriller and not action. i've never felt uninterested of completing watching a movie that Meg Ryan appears in before.

if you are Meg Ryan fans then i recommend to avoid this movie. if your not, then avoid this movie as well.

"My Mom's New Boyfriend" has got what it takes, well nearly. It starts off on a very interesting note and builds up to a quite nice premise with adequate fresh gaffes sprinkled at regular intervals. Sadly it loses steam towards the end and becomes quite predictable. Meg Ryan is a big downer, she chugs and splutters all over the place. Antonio Banderas is smooth and suave, reprising his "Zorro" performance. Colin Hanks failed to deliver the goods thereby the movie doesn't quite register an impact. Selma Blair was merely a stocking filler. The climax portions seems to have been written by a 10-year old kid, very lame!

Verdict: Can pass off as a popcorn evening on a rainy day.