Trop jeune pour elle !

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.

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.

Probably the best reason to see this film is to see a young Saoirse Ronan doing devastating parodies of some pop songs. She's also great fun also. Pfeiffer is always at least agreeable, Paul Rudd here is totally Paul Rudd, Tracey Ullman as Mother Nature is a nice touch. But really there isn't much meat here, comic or not. The little intrigue there is is weak and the central romance proceeds pretty much because, well, it has to, not because it is especially motivated. I'm really not sure when it actually begins. There is some fun parody of the TV business along the way. If you're not watching it too hard, you might not mind you're watching it at all.

Considering the talent involved - writer/director Amy Heckerling and actors Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd - I Could Never Be Your Woman could contend for the most high-profile motion picture yet to take the direct-to-DVD route. This wasn't intended to be the path traveled by this motion picture; had all gone well, it would have been on multiplex screens a year or two ago. Financial mismanagement and bad decisions made the movie unreleasable and it languished until The Weinstein Company executed their home video rights. The result is a mixed blessing for Heckerling - her movie gets to see the light of day but it does so with the unenviable "direct-to-DVD" label. It's good enough to warrant better than the curt dismissal it is likely to receive in some corners.

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.