Love (et ses petits désastres)

If you're looking for a pleasant, upbeat innocent romantic comedy - this will fit the bill. The tone, dialog, goof-ball misinterpretations and even rich colors are reminiscent of the 1950s. But - it's made for a modern audience too. For instance, we see Brittany Murphy rolling around multiple times virtually nude (won't have seen that 50 years ago!), we also have her surrounding herself with gay men (who are also looking for love) - and to boot, she shares a room with a gay man.

This is a fun movie and something is always happening. Murphy plays an "assistant" at a fashion magazine and tries to play matchmaker for her gay roommate. What she doesn't know is that one of the potential beaus is actually straight and really interested in her ... and the story progresses from there.

Brittany Murphy is at the center of the story. She's got her hair dyed black and has a distinctive, glamorous Spanish image. She puts in a strong performance as a kind-hearted but romantically averse do-gooder. There are more than a few laugh-out loud moments here, which makes it a wonderfully watchable movie.

Love (and Other Disasters) is not a typical romantic comedy, primarily as it pokes fun at the various aspects of the genre - predictable plot, grand romantic finale, happy coincidences etc. It is a light-hearted tongue in cheek movie that has all the spunk of a good romantic comedy with enough self-effacing genre-specific humor to keep it fresh and non-cloyingly sweet.

Other viewers have noted that Brittany Murphy is stiff and unbelievable, and that other characters are overly dramatic. But as the film draws attention to its very fictitious, theatrical nature, the characters fall into place as humorous fabricated, sensationalized versions of human nature in this light satire.

Also worth noting is the film's lovely approach towards homosexuality. Admittedly Peter's love life is a side-line plot, but what is shown has a ring of sincerity to it and avoids sensationalizing or stereotyping homosexual characters. While this movie is unlikely to win any Oscars, it is definitely one of the best romantic comedies I've seen.

"Love and Other Disasters" is just as the title says. It's about love and love-like disasters mistaken as love. It's not your typical romantic comedy because it's better than that. There's quite a few lines that are making fun of the genre but paying a sort of homage to it as well.

The late Brittany Murphy stars as Emily Jackson, 'Jacks', who takes her cues in life and style from Holly Golightly. The filmmakers as well have taken their inspiration for the look, feel and tone from "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

The best character in the film is Peter played by Matthew Rhys. In romantic-comedy-speak, he's the gay best friend, but again, he's better than that. He's very funny and in a much more realistic way than the other characters are, and his musings on love probably mirror those of the audience more than the other characters.

The film is very fast-paced, with witty dialogue, and a light-hearted manner. I recommend "Love and Other Disasters" for: fans of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"; fans of the dialogue of "Gilmore Girls"; fans of Matthew Rhys; and definitely aspiring-screenwriters - the filmmakers have made a number of inferences to the craft of screen writing that I think it becomes a must see.

Hers' was a very strange death.. and then her boyfriend goes and dies of almost the exact same causes a year later in the same house.. seriously very strange. Anyway, this film makes her loss that much more poignant, for this production is pure Brittany Murphy at her charming best, and it could very well be the best movie she's made. And Matthew Rhys matches her stride for stride... the two of them making this one of the most enjoyable rom-com's of the year. Sure it's the totally predictable formula, but it's fairly well written, and the overall cast is solid. You can watch a good number more films of any genre, and this will most likely be among the top for ease of enjoyment.

I didn't laugh at all till at least half an hour in. I was expecting a full blown comedy. This is not it. At least not in the sense of a comedy which make you laugh and laugh and laugh. In total I laughed perhaps about 6-7 times. Not talking about full blown laughter either. So, if you want to laugh a lot, I wouldn't recommend this.

Having said that, this is a good movie. It is well produced, acted etc. The characters are like able and even the "villain" of the movie isn't a bad guy after all. It's a charming movie which just makes you want to keep watching. At least that's what happened with me. I wasn't laughing but I couldn't stop watching.

Mind you, it is a clever film. There is some very clever writing in there.

Do I recommend this movie? Absolutely. The main reason is what I mentioned earlier, this is so charming you just can't stop but liking it.