CNN hated this movie. Roger Ebert, in contrast, said "because it embraces its innocence like a lucky charm, it works, for those willing to allow it." For those of who are part of the great washed masses, Ebert is right.
12-year-old Amanda and I sat in the middle of a nearly empty movie theater on Saturday afternoon to watch this and giggled and squealed throughout. (The joy of having a 12-year-old is the freedom to act like you're 12.) Of course it was predictable. We knew who was ending up with whom before we sat down. We also knew how long it would take (hint: end of movie) and most of what would happen in between. Thanks to trailers and commercials, we also knew some of the best scenes and lines.
Predictability is a fine thing in movies. The last time I couldn't predict a movie ending was in Pay It Forward and let me tell you, I didn't much like it. The girls almost revoked my movie-choosing privileges after that. If I'm headed out on a Saturday afternoon, I'm shopping for entertainment. My emotional challenges are plentiful enough in real life.
Here's what works about Win a Date. Every one of these actors has mastered comedic timing. Topher Grace has developed his exasperated, put-upon regular guy act to perfection in the 70's show and it's used in proper amounts here. Josh Duhamel, coming out of a daytime soap, knows how to play the unbelievable as if it's real, and although I spent a good part of the movie convinced he was running a scam, he managed to win me over as surely as he did our heroine. The bit parts of the agent and the manager are played to delicious stereotypical excess by Nathan Lane ("The Producers") and Sean Hayes ("Will and Grace"). You can't think that the movie is engaging in anything other than parody when both are named the same (Richard Levy).
Article comments
1 - Craig Lyndall
This movie looked pretty entertaining to me from the previews. I like Topher Grace from that 70's show. It drives me insane when movie reviewers hold every movie up to the epic, classic standards. Not every movie is trying to be grandiose and important like Braveheart or Shindler's List. Does that mean there is no place for these movies? I felt the same way about "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." That movie was pretty funny in spots and didn't bore me. Just be careful what standards you hold it to.
2 - visualsimplicity
I enjoyed this movie, it had it's humorous moments, but that ending almost killed the entire movie for me. So incredibly cheesy.
Oh and Craig, the same goes for music.