Ilusão de Amor

like every romantic comedy. because it is nothing more than only one of comfortable and soft romantic comedy, using the same recipes, the right cast, the seductive story. and this is it. the only spice who gives a shadow of different flavor is the imaginary friend. sure, a catch, not original but beautiful. for the reference to the childhood of many viewers. for the aspects of modern airy tale. so, a not bad film, a reasonable choice for the not admirers of romantic movies, a simple - simple story in sauce of humor, few drops of emotion and the expected /absurde end. and that is all.

Jane (Alyssa Milano) once had an imaginary friend when she was a little girl. An only child to a busy mother, Vivian (Stockard Channing), she needed Michael time and time again to help her in daily living. But, on the day the wee gal turned ten, Mother took her shopping for jewelry at Tiffanys and Michael said goodbye! He told Jane the rules of imaginary pals was written in stone, that is, after age ten, children needed to "grow up" and learn to solve their own troubles. Needless to say, Jane is heartbroken as she watches Michael disappear down the elevator. Flash forward 20 years. Now, Jane works in the theater business with her mother and is engaged to a successful but ego-driven actor, Hugh (the gorgeous Ivan Sergei). With the wedding weeks away, Jane is still having difficulty choosing a gown, flowers, a cake and more. What a surprise it is, then, that a grown-up Michael (Eric Winter) returns to help out! After realizing he is NOT a stalker, Jane accepts that he is indeed her former best friend and, wow, is he cute. Having him by her side makes it easy to choose the right dress and everything else. But, since Michael temporarily bunks on Jane's couch, having no "earthly" home, the two may be in danger of becoming more than pals! Meanwhile, Hugh is doing interviews, signing autographs, and focusing little attention to a supposed rival, haha. What will Jane's heart tell her in the end? This is one beautiful and funny romance, based on a book by James Patterson. Milano is lovely and comical as the lead character while Winter and Sergei are two of the most talented eye-candy actors around. For romcom fans, it doesn't get much better. Channing and all of the other cast members do fine work, too. The Manhattan setting, costumes, script, direction, and all other film amenities are most fine, despite that the film was a made-for-television movie. So, dear fans everywhere, try to grab hold of this winner, for it truly shines as brilliantly as a diamond from the well-known store of the stars.

I thought this was an enjoyable movie. Yes, the ending was fairly predictable, as most of these type movies are, but I enjoyed it. I didn't know this was based on a book and evidently it doesn't follow it very closely and most people who've read it didn't care for the movie. If you don't know about the book, the movie is good. I did notice several goofs (I'm not giving away anything at all about the storyline, so I don't consider these spoilers): in a scene where Jane goes to a restaurant to find Michael, she speaks with the hostess and as the camera flips between the two women, Jane's scarf is around her neck and then hanging down. It goes back and forth about 5 times during the conversation. Also, the previews for the movie show parts of scenes that don't actually happen in the movie. The preview of Michael in front of the cab has the cab driver saying "we can all see you" and he never says that in the actual movie. Also, the preview shows a brief clip of Jane and Michael dancing 'the robot' in a bar, and in the movie, she doesn't get up until he is done dancing.

I see a good many movies on DVD and I have lately ventured into the rom- com field without much happiness or success. Movies in this genre are really intended as date movies that the girl drags the boy too so she can live out some fantasy time. This movie is supposed to be a fantasy from childhood come to life, but there is very little life in it. The imaginary friend who comes to rescue the lead character just as she is about to marry a self centered actor is likable enough, since he isn't obnoxious, but just about nothing else about the movie makes sense. Why is the imaginary friend able to stay in the real world beyond his supposed departure time? How did he know to come back? Why is there a little black kid popping up and advising him on the rules of imaginary friends?

If he has come back to rescue this girl, why doesn't he say so straight out? Oyvay! Who cares? Dumb and sappy, this movie really stinks. At least it follows one of the key unwritten rules of rom-coms: everything happens in New York City. You can have rom and you can have com, but if you want both, its gotta be in the Big Apple, right?

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie since I haven't read the book. I was pleasantly surprised however! From the moment the movie started I was enthralled with the characters. Who didn't have an imaginary friend as a kid? Pretty much everyone did. Jane was a lovely, if a bit confused, character... a very everyday sort of woman. And Michael! Well, since I haven't read the book I don't know if Eric Winter truly captured the character or not but if he is anything like how he is portrayed then I am going to love him.

This movie gets an A in my book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes an innocent romance.