Seven Girlfriends

I saw this one on a flight from Copenhagen to Chicago. As the name as well as the protagonists were unknown to me I didn't know what to expect. I was extremely pleasantly surprised. The movie is light but by no means shallow. The humor (which there is plenty of) is fresh and unique. Although several things are made fun of, nothing is really disparaged. I was disappointed reading the "external reviews" and how little those critics thought of the movie. In my humble opinion this movie is an outstanding comedy that is worth much more than it has received credit for.

Tim Daly is very good in his role as a man who can't seem to make a relationship last. En route to the funeral of his ex-girlfriend, who was once his fiancée, he talks with each of his girlfriends to discover why the relationships didn't last. There are some really inspired bits in this film, particularly at his lesbian ex's party and one reason his high-school sweetheart gives for breaking up: His voice is too high when he sings along with the radio(we hear evidence in the film). He responds: "It's harmony!" The one thing I liked about this film more than anything was the ending. Some movies I've seen kind of left me empty or had a really unresolved ending. But not this film. I'm not going to give away too much, but just say it really left me satisfied. I highly recommend this film, to anyone who wants a simple romantic comedy.

This movie made me feel good. It is not a masterpiece but still it has an over all quality as entertainment that runs the risk to be overseen. It deals with the most common angst of true love. Love problems have an impact on our daily life. This movie deals with many of the problems but in a shallow, American, Hollywood style. So what? The acting is on a basic level as the directing but… I never had a feeling that any one in the movie was in lack of genuine acting skills. They did a fine job and there is a lot more to give from all of the main actors. This movie is an example of easy to digest motion picture art form as entertainment suitable for any one to take part of.

"Seven Girlfriends", has many moments of potentially inspired comedy each of which are dampened to the point of being merely ok by the TV-style direction of Paul Lazaras. Oddly enough, Lazaras also had a hand in the very screenplay he almost ruins with his mediocre direction (but before handing out the Pulitzer, it should be noted that the basic plot of this film--an immature man seeks out old girlfriends to find out why he is incapable of maintaining a relationship--is very, very similar to Nick Hornby's 1996 novel "High Fidelity", itself recently made into a superior film by Steven Frears).

In the hands of a director less hack-ified by his TV experience, and with a more interesting lead player than the similarly TV-bland Timothy Daly, the screenplay of "Seven GF's", as written, with its blend of heart-felt sentiment and gross-out humor, could have been a big, big, "Something About Mary" hit. And before anyone who's a fan of this film jumps me for comparing the tame final product "7GFs" became to a Farrely Brothers movie, lets not forget the scene in "7GFs" where a character creams in his pants during a mild good-night kiss. AND lets not forget how bland the director made the moment. I mean, really--how do you make that kind of thing bland?!

SO, time to do a remake. Get the Farrelys (or at least a director who hasn't been turned to mush by directing too many TV shows) and get a star who has some kind of...I don't know...charisma, or talent, or sense of humor, or light behind his eyes or something! I mean, nothing against Daly as an actor--for TV he's fine. But he's not an interesting person to watch; he gives a perfect reading of someone you would get bored with at a party. Give us Ben Stiller, or John Cusack--somebody with a spark. Somebody who can make us laugh, and think, and occasionally cringe with recognition.

At least when you see a really BAD movie made from a good screenplay, the script gets buried--you can't really tell there was any potential. But when you see a mediocre movie made out of a good screenplay, all you can think about as you watch it is--"man, that SHOULD have been good!"

This one should have been good.

Okay, maybe the name Tim Daly would scare you off from watching this movie, but trust me. This movie is so much better than all of Jennifer Aniston's and David Schwimmer's movies combined. This movie is cleverly written and full of a series of surprising and comical twists and turns.

The cast may not be your typical movie picks. Yet Paul Lazzarus wrote and directed this movie well. Tim Daly was surprisingly good as Jesse, a 32 year old bachelor whose former-fiance dies, and he tracks down his former girlfriends to find out where he went wrong. And believe me, when you see this movie, his girl trouble turns out to be more than just bad luck.

Some of the most hilarious scenes come when his answering machine messages get saved by one of his girlfriends, and a certain scene with another one of his former girlfriends' daughter. I can't tell you the specifics of these scenes, but I guarantee you, it will be funny.

The acting is done very well, the script is well written, and this is in no way like High Fidelity. It may not have exactly gotten "Titanic" advertising, but it is a must-see. See it when you get the chance.