Trop jeune pour elle !

I saw this last night (6/15/07) at The Maui International Film Festival. It is going to be categorized by some as a "Chick Flick", however the chemistry between Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd is undeniable. Since the film won't be released for a few months, I'm not going to go into any specific plot details, however Hollywood's obsession with youth, plastic surgery, and untalented pretty people is amusingly (and sometimes disturbingly) exposed.

Pfeiffer is a true movie star -- a brilliant actress and shamefully underrated comedian. And I would imagine that this film will likely be Paul Rudd's star-making vehicle. He's a talent power-house.

Other notable fine performances are give by the one and only Tracey Ullman as Mother Nature, and Saoirse Ronan as Pfeiffer's daughter.

I haven't laughed out loud at a movie in a long time, however I did last night -- many times. Judging from the reaction, laughter and applause of the hundreds of others in attendance, this movie is a winner.

I Could Never Be Your Woman is the first film directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless) in like 7 years. I ended up unexpectedly loving Clueless back then, and this film definitely has that same vibe, as well as many of the same cast members, including Rudd, Stacey Dash, and Wallace Shawn. The movie was a light, fun romantic comedy that I enjoyed quite a bit (though I could have done without Tracy Ullman's "Mother Nature"). Michelle Pfeiffer makes a nice return from her movie hiatus in the lead here, after easing back in with her smaller supporting role in Hairspray earlier this summer. Her daughter is played by Saoirse Ronan, a talented young woman who is gonna be breaking out in a big way in the next year with this and roles in several other really big-name films. But the real star here is definitely Paul Rudd, who has proved to be one of the funniest guys around right now. Between this, his involvement with the Apatow crowd, his participation in all manner of projects by alumni of The State, and the rest of his work, he definitely knows how to find good projects and surround himself with equally talented people.

Amy Heckerling brings forth a delightful romantic comedy centred around the romance between a younger man and older woman. But what makes this one different is the director's treatment. Heckerling's 'I Could Never Be Your Woman' follows the same style of her 'Clueless'. What I liked about the comedy is that the humour is quite dry and that goes very well with the mood and situations of the film. Unlike most recent movies of this genre, it does not heavily rely on slapstick or vulgarity. It is pretty much comprised of all kinds of comedy like satire, a bit of slapstick, innuendos, symbolism, visual jokes and wit. The whimsical soundtrack gives the movie an upbeat feel. Heckerling gently presents themes like people's obsession with youth, plastic surgery, looks mattering more than personality and talent.

Heckerling's exceptional cast The eternally gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer takes a break from the negative roles and delivers a splendid performance. I liked her chemistry with her co-stars. It's as though even after being a big movie star she really enjoyed working with the actors. Likewise, Paul Rudd gives a natural and hilarious performance. Everything he does is funny. Saoirse Ronan does an excellent job too. I liked her performance here more than what she did in 'Atonement'. The eternally hot Stacey Dash plays the bimbo very effectively (I can't believe she's actually 40 and yet she so right for the part). Jon Lovitz and Tracey Ullman are brilliant respectively as the image obsessed ex and the angry Mother Nature. It was great to see familiar British faces like Graham Norton and Sarah Alexander who superbly plays the passive aggressive unsuccessful seductress.

I also liked how Heckerling and the actors portrayed the relationships between the characters. It really comes across as authentic, natural and sincere. For example, the scene where Rosie and her daughter play with Barbies, Adam 'acting around' with everyone, Nathan's obsession with looking young, Rosie arguing with Mother Nature. Izzie's versions of 'Ironic'...these are all very genuine, clever and funny ideas and it is these little things that make 'I Could Never Be Your Woman' a unique gem.

My wife and I happen to be one of those Ashton/Demi couples and have been together before it became popular and acceptable. I never had much of a problem with it but my wife did initially. The film did a remarkably accurate job of portraying what goes on in the head of the older female. It had us ROTFL as we had gone through similar situations ourselves when we were dating.

Paul Rudd is very funny much funnier than I remember him from Friends and Michelle Pfeiffer is perfect as the sexy, and somewhat insecure love interest. The daughter/mother relationship was also really well done - the daughter being smart, just precocious and innocent enough without being too artificially sweet which was very hard to pull off. The dialog in the film is clever and witty but light and self-parodying along the lines of Clueless.

Overall, a very sweet and funny movie - I haven't enjoyed a romantic comedy this much since Annie Hall or Sleepless in Seattle.

Rosie (Michelle Pfeiffer) is divorced mother of Izzie (Saoirse Ronan) and a producer of a silly high school TV show. She falls for new actor Adam (Paul Rudd), but the age difference is driving her crazy. I like Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd as a lovely couple. That is certainly a huge chunk of the movie, and is a lot of fun. But there are two things that are constantly annoying me in this movie.

First, writer/director Amy Heckerling wants this to be The Graduate with a different ending. Only Michelle Pfeiffer looks way too hot for the Anne Bancroft role. And Paul Rudd look older than 29. It makes the age difference look insignificant, and takes away much of the drama. Second, I couldn't stand Mother Nature (Tracey Ullman). She causes every scene to get off the narrative. It's very distracting. She's part of a whole series of overwritten jokey setups.

In the end, I like the leads. Saoirse is cute as the kid. That's enough to recommend this movie marginally.