User reviews

There's a certain sort of movie or television fare that I like to have tuned in on telly in the background while I'm doing boring housework. The show has to be interesting enough to divert me, but not interesting enough to demand my full attention, because then I won't get the housework done.

'Mr Write' came on while I was housecleaning. It proved to be *more* boring than housework ... and I was just about to switch off, when there was one clever piece of dialogue. A man asks his wife where the toothpaste is, and she replies 'It's in the tube marked "Crest".' I was impressed with this line; it's not especially funny, but it's a clever way to get a product plug into the dialogue.

So now get this ironic plot. Paul Reiser plays a struggling playwright. Out of the blue comes a candy manufacturer played by Martin Mull, whom I've never found remotely funny. (I've found Reiser funny elsewhere, but not here.) Mull offers to bankroll a production of Reiser's play. Reiser agrees, but then he learns there's a catch: the dialogue and staging of the play must include several references to Mull's product Chocolate Ding-a-Lings. Suddenly, Reiser's character has artistic qualms.

Huh? Wha-? I know for a fact that many live-theatre productions contain commercial plugs. What Reiser has been offered here is nothing new. And of course this same thing -- product placement -- happens in movies routinely. Reiser's response is utterly implausible. Even more implausible is the fact that Mull is able to put his Ding-a-Lings into the script without Reiser's consent or even his knowledge. Under the terms of the Dramatists Guild agreement, a stage play (unlike a movie or TV script) CANNOT be altered without the playwright's consent.

All of this hugger-mugger pluggery is made more contrived because of the presence of that line about Crest toothpaste, suggesting that the people who made this film are very familiar with how product placement works.

Elsewhere in this wretched movie, we have a prole character who compares himself to 'that guy Willy Loman'? Why can't he just cite Willy Loman, and leave 'that guy' out of it? Obviously, the scriptwriter assumes we've never heard of 'Death of a Salesman', or perhaps that we won't believe that this character would be familiar with the play.

Jane Leeves, whom I've found very funny and extremely sexy elsewhere, is wasted here as a woman from Leeds (with the wrong accent). I'll rate this rubbish exactly one point, for that toothpaste gag.

Paul Reiser, a.k.a. Mr. Gesture, did ok in this one, but it was still a dog. The dialogue was beyond droll and juvenile, and the story went way beyond anything even remotely interesting. I always enjoy the shows where all the troubles and strife are overcome in the end when the pair unite in love forever. Ahhhh....romance. However, this one didn't bring it off: in fact, I am amazed it even got through production. BYPASS!

This is probably one of the best comedy-drama movies I've seen. Reiser is the best. I admit that. The one thing I can be sure of... Martin Mull is the best too. This will sound positive, but to me it's negative. Martin Mull has the best acting skills that I don't like him. I mean, How The Wesr Was Fun... he played a retarded character. But I love him.

Give a holler now!! This movie was right before How The West Was Fun.

I hate to break it to you, MacIntyre. There may be too many Ding-A-Lings in the script, but it's what ties in with the point of the movie. You have to give the movie a chance. I saw from beginning to the end today and I thought it was quite fascinating. What you said, though, seems true. This movie showed some product plugs.

The movie is alright. The acting is awesome. The conflict is amazing. The setting fits in just right. The theme... well, I never really caught the theme. I wonder what my English teacher would say about this movie. I'll ask him later. This movie is top notch and not a bit boring or pathetic. I just hope Mr. Write wasn't in Welsh when MacIntyre saw it. -chuckles-

I don't understand why the film received a rating of 2.9, but maybe it's because I like Paul Reiser and loved "Mad About You." Reiser is just as funny in this movie as he is as Paul Buchman on the hit sitcom, and squeezes in a few of his witty one-liners. The movie isn't brilliant, but it's often effective. It's a screwball comedy, yet it has a consistent charm and never spins out of control. Jessica Tuck is pretty and quite talented. Martin Mull steals the show as her greedy father, who doesn't approve of her quirky boyfriend. I enjoyed how the father disapproved of her current boyfriend, yet the guy that's chasing her (Reiser), whereas the romantic comedy formula in the movies usually requires it to be vice versa.

There are many funny moments and I always enjoy watching a little, low-budget film that proves to be very good. This is one of those underrated gems that's definitely worth a look.

My score: 7 (out of 10)