Love Is a Four Letter Word

Emily (Teri Polo) goes to the wedding of a close friend. A dedicated divorce lawyer, she doesn't really want to catch the bouquet but it gets tangled up in her hair and dress. She, therefore, meets the gentleman who grabbed the garter, Kenton (Robert Mailhouse). The two exchange a few words and soon take a shine to one another. They decide to leave the reception and go for a walk on the beach. Once there, they exchange brief autobiographies, except career information, and engage in some pretty fervent kisses. The evening ends. A day later, Emily and Kenton meet again, with less zeal. Both arrive at the courtroom and find themselves representing opposing clients in a potentially messy divorce. Horrors! Naturally, they bicker and conclude that ethical complications will keep them from pursuing any personal relationship. But, with such a strong beginning, will they be able to keep their feelings on a strictly professional level? Meanwhile, their clients (Donna Mills and Barry Bostwick) are having second thoughts about divorce. Does anyone care to put a wager on the possible triumph of love, twice over? This is a nice film for those ever-hungry romcom fans. The four principal actors do a fine job, although Mailhouse is a bit smug from time to time. The sets, costumes, production, and direction are also above average. As for the script, most fans of love stories adore a nice, romantic tug of war and this one will not disappoint them. If you are a dedicated watcher of comic tales of affection, try to catch this one on the tube. It will more than satisfy you and make for a contented evening at home.

A very satisfying comedy film featuring a girl and guy who meet at the wedding of their best friends. They are truly a perfect match for each other until they walk into court as divorce attorneys handling the opposite side of a divorce case.

The film deals with how their handling of the case affects their relationships.

This is basically a story of love, conflict, divorce and redemption.

This is told along a backdrop of the true California beach scene.

The couple who is divorcing after 30 years are being described as a retirement divorce. You hear so much of the husband retiring and the marriage faltering as he is around more often now at the home. This was a very interesting plot and is well resolved by film's end.

Yes, love is just a four letter word, but it can be much more than just a word. It can be a thought, it can be a spoken word, it can be a focus and it can be an on purpose choice of creation if we all knew what love meant to us. To me, love is the way I feel or the way I choose to deliberately feel. But about the movie....Clever and well acted! I loved the script as well. Two lawyers battling against each other in the same divorce case and happening upon love? Love and divorce or love and love? Which one will win both sides of this equation? You'll have to watch and find out for yourself. However, I believe this movie should be rated a little higher than it is. It deserves better! The acting was great and the story was sweet.

*sigh* They don't make screwball romantic comedies today like they did back in the 1930s and 1940s. The characters today are too cynical, self-aware, and guarded. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when the movie is titled: "Love is a Four-Letter Word". While a 1930s comedy would have the title be a wink and nod, or a double-entendre with charm, here love is indeed a four letter word to be overcome with effort.

The story is about two divorce lawyers representing opposing clients. He is a new lawyer in town and unfamiliar to her. She has a mother pushing her to meet a man. She is more cynical on love than the man even though she doesn't utter the common phrase "I don't need a man".

Yes, it very similar to "Laws of Attraction" with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. The difference being:

1. Brosnan was a lawyer equal to Moore, unlike here where Robert Mailhouse's character is not the equal to Teri Polo's character as a lawyer.

2. Brosnan has charm and a twinkle in his eye. Mailhouse is a decent, sincere, and boring, guy.

3. Moore was fun as a sputtering character whose life and routine was turned upside down by Brosnan. Polo's character is always in control and more cynical on love.

The cynical part is my problem with this film. While the characters probably are more realistic, and the situation and divorce they are handling are not as outrageous as in "Laws of Attraction", they are also not as fun. Polo's character is too cynical and guarded in the beginning and throughout much of the film. By the time she warms up to love it was too late. For me at least. I didn't care.

In the "boy pursues girl" phase of the "boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy pursues girl" situation I was thinking the Mailhouse character needed to get out more and meet people. While he was new to town, she wasn't the only person out there that he could date. She wasn't worth the trouble to pursue. She is too cold. I saw no spark of warmth under that cold exterior. Yes, I know, not a good thing to think when watching a romantic comedy.

The movie is not bad, it is earnest. Maybe too earnest as I am having trouble of thinking of something funny from the movie. Maybe my mistake was in thinking this movie was a romantic comedy when it is just a romance movie. I *think* there were scenes where they were trying to be funny, but they seemed kind of flat.

I liked that the couple were older as he at least admitted to be 40. The supporting characters, while not all were well developed, at least most seemed to be more than simplistically one-note.

I didn't feel like I had wasted my time watching the movie, but it will be quickly forgotten.