Coisas de Casais

This movie turned out to be better than I expected. The plot is interesting and original (if such thing is possible at all in such romantic genre), the dialogue has some great moments, the directing and camera-work are good enough as well. Although the actors are such stars, I think that this movie deserved even better performances than they gave. Nonetheless, Wishful Thinking is quite pleasant movie. I rank it close below Living In Oblivion and Sliding Doors.

This entertaining comedy replays its episodes from different characters' points of view, and also as scenes from 1940s black and white films. (One of the characters is a projectionist in an art house.) Through all the fun, there runs a Shakespearean comedy plot in which characters who are paired up with the wrong partners go through a series of misadventures to end up, at last, with the right one. John Stewart is very funny, in a John Stewartish way, and Drew Barrymore is luminous and funny, as always. It's a bit talky in places, but stay with it -- it'll reward your attention.

I thought this movie was a comedy like "Never Been Kissed". The back of the box says something about "sexy, funny, etc.", so I took a chance. Thankfully I borrowed it from the library for free, because I'd want my money back if I rented it or paid to see it in the theatre.

In all honesty, the premise is interesting - the same story told from three points of view. The problem with this movie is, it isn't funny, it isn't sexy and it takes a really a l-o-n-g time to get to the end. You just keep waiting for some kind of action, because it doesn't play as a good "chick flick".

Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Beals are good, but James LeGros (as Max) is really irritating and it's unbelievable that either Drew or Jennifer would find him interesting and actually want to be with him.

Okay, here's the deal. I recently saw this movie for the first time at 1 AM on NBC after Saturday Night Live. I was already tired and playing video games when I started listening to the start of this movie. I realized it was strange and crazy. I had to watch the whole thing, it just drew me in.

Given these conditions, I thought it was the best movie I have ever seen. Seriously, it was funny and heartfelt at the same time. It was artistic and clicked perfectly into the things I had recently been thinking about. It deals with perspective in a way that lays bare the absurd self-righteousness we all carry about; showing that we are all just confused adventurers in this awkward landscape of life controlled by chance. If you like strange films and ideas and also have a soft spot for romantic comedies, I think you'll love this film. But I'm really not sure because I was really tired.

I just saw the movie on cable and I had a pleasant time. No it is not a movie I would go out of my way to watch again, but definitely not the worst in my list. True, the plot was very common and only the narration was short of inventive, but all in all not a bad movie. It is just that labeling it "romantic comedy" is misleading, it might be light but not a comedy. What prompted me to write about it was Jennifer Beals whom I think stole the show. I hadn't seen her since Flashdance (yuck) and I think she matured nicely. I might look for other recent movies that she played in.