Lado a Lado com o Amor

Platonic best friends and roommates Sarah Jessica Parker (a New York City therapist bored with her clients) and Eric Schaeffer (a struggling artist who also teaches art to kids) are frustrated over their lackluster love lives and recall a pact they made years before: if they're both without partners at the age of 30, they will jump off the Brooklyn Bridge together. Romantic comedy alternates between being jaded and sentimental; it has flashes of satirical wit--but only flashes. Parker doesn't have much of a character here; perhaps sensing this, she compensates for the lack of substance by doing silly bits of business (stretching, giggling, making faces). The most natural performance in the film is turned in by Elle Macpherson as Schaeffer's dream girl; the role is an enigma, but Macpherson's offhand appeal and easy manner gives this fantasy figure some personality, whereas Parker is stuck in a vacuum. Ben Stiller overdoes his small part as a celebrity artist and a young Scarlett Johansson turns up as one of Schaeffer's students (looking like a pint-sized Lolita). Schaeffer, who also wrote the screenplay and directed, runs hot and cold as an actor; wearing funny hats and talking in different rhythms, he doesn't overplay or underplay--he's just a goofy mensch, but not a dynamic one like Albert Brooks or Woody Allen. He's careful to give his character some shading, yet all the little quirks--like much of the serious dialogue--are strictly superficial. *1/2 from ****

Essentially, I found this movie meaningless. Even though I do like Sarah Jessica Parker, Joe (played by Eric Schaeffer) seemed like an unnecessary jerk. He who has been watching through a telescope supermodel Elle MacPherson, suddenly becomes turned off by her when she admits to having fantasized about him. Dissapointing ending.

I saw this in the movies. I think it was the one and only time in my entire life I've fallen asleep in public. But that might have been my date. Either way, this movie was terrible. Now, I've seen it again. It wasn't just age or what was going on with my life - or who I was with. This is a terrible movie. The two lead characters who are supposed to be best friends are mean to each other and do not communicate clearly. Joe, the lead "male" and writer of the movie, dresses like a girl - complete with headband and dresses and leggings. In fact, he dresses like a little girl in the 1980's. The lead woman, played by SJP, who I can never hate, is just not likable. Nor does she make sense. One second she likes Ben Stiller's pointless character, the next she's rolling her eyes at him like the rest of us. The base story is interesting and one of my favorites, I won't spoil what that is, but suffice it to say there was plenty of potential. This movie doesn't carry it off. The editing is bad - but perhaps that's mostly the fault of a shallow script and unlikeable characters. The actors can't be faulted. They do their best with virtually no material.

I rented this movie some time ago, thinking it would be great, especially with Sarah Jessica Parker and Ben Stiller. However, I found the movie very disappointing . It did not keep my attention and I kept waiting for it to "get good". It never did. I ended up falling asleep. Unlike other movies I have fallen asleep on, I did not feel the need to try to watch it again, especially when spending money to rent it. In fact, I could not wait to get the tape back video store. However, whenever I have trouble sleeping, I do consider purchasing a copy of this movie to help me fall asleep.

After reading other comments, I see that some people liked this movie and thought it was clever and smart, so it must have some enjoyable and entertaining value from a view point I am either lacking or just have not applied. However, it is definitely no Something About Mary, or You Got Mail which are wonderful romantic comedies, yet very different from each other.

I first saw this movie as a teenager and loved it just as much as *When Harry Met Sally*. However, rewatching it as an adult, my feelings have changed significantly. While the movie was good for its time, I now see that Sarah Jessica Parker and Eric Schaeffer have no chemistry together. Eric Schaeffer, though talented, doesn't quite fit the role he plays.

I also feel his character could have had a more compelling storyline with Elle Macpherson's character. Despite their minimal chemistry, it still surpassed that of his with Sarah Jessica Parker. Perhaps the issue lies in the "platonic best friends fall in love" cliché, which wasn't as overdone when the movie was first released. A different narrative focus might have resulted in a more engaging love story.

Additionally, while *When Harry Met Sally* remains timeless despite its use of clichés, this movie hasn't aged as well. The supporting cast, while enjoyable, doesn't quite make up for the central lack of chemistry.