20 Dates

I guess I'm the oddball here since the average rating for this movie on Imdb is 5.6. But, I found it difficult to lose interest. I was sincerely interested in the next date. I was sincerely interested in whether the movie would get completed. And, I cared whether or not he would get his girl.

I'm not sure why the average viewer didn't like the movie any better except that most people don't like documentaries - which this was.

However, it was a personal story that had a lot of true drama. No recreations. No embellishments. Actual events and actual persons. The fact that it had a convenient place to start - Date #1 and a convenient place to end - Date #20, made it all the more appealing. I've always believed that a camera following a real person around documenting a particular achievement from beginning to end would make interesting video - and this is proof from my perspective.

You need to realize it isn't like a "normal" movie, but I found it very entertaining and well worth the time.

Myles Berkowitz is newly divorced after his 10-month marriage ended badly. He also is keen to make his debut film that will launch his movie career. He decides to combine the two biggest failures of his life - his film `career' and his love life to make a film about the real search for love in LA. He sets out to film 20 dates to capture the moment where two people fall in love. However he is in for a rocky road - not only does he have trouble with his dates but the guy funding his film wants it to be something other than what Myles envisages it to be.

This film was made on the cheap and is a mix of documentary and mockumentary; there is no way that all the stuff in this film is real - certainly I never accepted that Elie the producer was the character that the film painted him to be. However, the majority of it seems to be relatively real and the majority of it is funny - which is the important thing here. Forget Myles arty pretensions about filming true love as it happens, the point here is wit and fun. The film is a very particular type of wit and if you're not into it then it is likely that you will hate the film; for me I really enjoyed the light humour of the whole piece and found it amusing even if I wouldn't call it hilarious.

I really liked the invention of some parts of it: the comparisons of the budget in military terms (his film would be the equivalent of one French soldier surrendering to whoever it happens to be at war with), the stuff around Elie, the `meetings' with his agent etc. In fact most of the funny stuff is staged - and it is for the best. If I was being cynical I would question whether or not 95% of the film was scripted and acted as natural. But it didn't bother me because I found it funny.

Myles himself is a strange guy; he is quite abrasive and pretty unpleasant at times and is a bit of a jerk. He definitely doesn't deserve Elisabeth but it is easy to be amused by his cruel humour at times. He holds the attention pretty well when he is on dates, but as an actor I didn't think much of him: at one point we learn he refused an offer for a script on the basis that he would only sell it if he could star - he really needs to focus on writing as neither directing or acting appears to be his thing on the basis of this. The support crew are hilarious. Myles sound guy and cameraman are funny when they have the chance, while both Richard the agent and Elie are hilarious and don't mind sending themselves up!

Overall, treat this film as a comedy rather than a documentary - large chunks of it are staged, but it actually helps the film. It is very rough but it is different and quite enjoyable; it is funny in witty ways and it is funny in inventive ways and both styles work really well. It is not a perfect film (Myles' comes across like a daytime tv presenter at times) but it is fun; and that's all I was really looking for.

this is one movie that i wasn't sure i'd be interested, but i ended up watching it and laughing out loud. its a sweet change from the norm. i highly recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys comedies, independant movies, and/or romance. it's a great laugh, definatley worth watching more than once. i enjoyed it immensely, and so have everyone i have referred it to.

20 Dates is enjoyable for what it is: a semi-documentary. It seems as if Berkowitz started out with a good idea but it was corrupted a bit along the way. The big tip-off that this isn't REAL life is that 2 women who have appeared in Playboy make brief appearances. If you really want to see it, catch a matinee or wait for the video.

Malarkey is the best word to describe this trashy film. Presenting itself as a documentary on one man's search for love in LA (yawn), the film is even more about the trials of trying to get this movie finished. Myles Berkowitz in the man in charge here. He wrote it, stars in it, and directs the film. To say that his presence is unpleasant is being nice. I cannot imagine anyone finding this guy attractive, and yet the film never shows that either. Knowing beforehand that most of this picture was staged doesn't help the matter any better. Berkowitz never mentions that part of his film is faked. Although I usually don't care about cursing in films, I couldn't help but be very sickened that such a light-hearted movie would have such a plethora of F-words. Most of the people on-screen are dreadful human beings, and I question Berkowitz to why he must follow a dream that he so obviously isn't cut out for. It's like being nail-gunned to a wall at a party you cannot bear. The best moments are suspiciously off camera, which might be accounted for in the "I made this up" part of the documentary. Loathsome to say the least, I hope Berkowitz never gets behind a camera again.-------- 1