The new Amy Adams-tumbles-down-an-Irish-hillside romantic comedy has racked up a slew of groaning reviews. The New York Times went so far as to call it the worst movie of our barely week-old year. (Our Owen Gleiberman gave it a B-). I went to the movie last night, and must confess that I found it rather endearing. Amy Adams, after playing such a churlish character (bloggers, right?!) in Julie & Julia, is the requisite role of uptight control freak who wants her stiff boyfriend to propose already after four years of dating. When he leaves on a business trip to Ireland, she chases after him to take advantage of an olde country tradition whereby a lass is granted the right to pop the question to her man on the titular day of leap year. I know, awful. (The thing is the movie itself, when approached with dangerously low expectations, is kind of winning. Adams’ character quickly finds herself sidelined with a surly yet stand-up bartender played by Matthew Goode and despite myself I was charmed by their predictable series of misadventures on the road to Dublin. I blame the cough syrup, and Goode’s fisherman’s sweater.)
But the premise itself of the movie should not be forgiven, or at least not its wretched trailer in which Adams practices her getting proposed face or screams on a turbulence-wracked airplane that “I am not going to die without getting engaged!” When will Hollywood drop this strangely clung-to cliche that a grown woman will always be reduced to needy brat when she gets a whiff of wedding cake? You want to know what was cute about Kimberly Williams in the movie Father of the Bride? Her character was a 22-year-old and she acted like one. Maybe young women her age still get silly and feverish about their fairy tale notions of weddings and marriage. Grown women don’t.
When was the last time you saw a grown woman shove her girlfriends out of the way to catch a wedding bouquet? (Oh that’s right, 27 Dresses. But you didn’t see it at your colleague’s wedding.) When did you last see two grown women cling so desperately to their childish fantasies of the perfect wedding that their friendship was torn apart as they fought over the same venue? (You saw it in the dastardly Bride Wars, but your sister-in-law the teacher and her college roommate the lawyer did not act like this.) Amy Adams is 35 years old. Her character in Leap Year is a successful businesswoman who values order and stability. (Successful businesswomen in movies are always uptight, but it usually only takes them a spin around a dance floor and a half a bottle of wine to cut loose. Of course that often ends up, as it did in Leap Year, with the woman humiliated, vomiting on a man’s shoes.) Adams’ character is neither a ninny nor a child. And yet the whole marketing campaign of the film boils down to the anachronistic notion that what a woman today really wants, what she will not in fact live without, is a rock on her finger. She wants that rock so bad, the movie tells us, and yet she can only risk asking for it herself once every four years in Ireland. If Adams doesn’t get to Dublin in time, she will have blown her one shot at making all her dreams come true. No wonder people hate this movie! (Except for me. Did I mention that Matthew Goode wears a pea coat?)
Why do I so rarely recognize the female characters in romantic comedies? My favorite wedding-centered movie is Four Weddings and a Funeral. And my favorite character from that movie was of course Fiona, a stern woman with a wicked tongue played by the divine Kristin Scott Thomas. Fiona loves Charles. Charles inexplicably loves that drippy Andie McDowell.
It was the rare wedding movie where a woman, even as Fiona was confessing her love to a man she knew she would never have, held on tight to her dignity. She didn’t dye Andie McDowell’s hair blue or get a bad spray tan or barf on the mother of the bride or tell Hugh Grant that she would die without him. She was beautiful and moving and poised. I would love to be friends with this woman. I am friends with this woman. I will never understand why Hugh Grant didn’t realize she was the best woman in the room. But I like to think Fiona was better off without him.
Did anybody else out there ignore the critics and see Leap Year or did the dopey trailer turn you too far off? What romantic comedy cliche most chaps your hide? Fiona or Carrie? Matthew Goode in a fisherman’s sweater or Matthew Goode shirtless shaving his beard?
I know more than a few women who to them getting married means everything. I know this is probably your feminist side speaking out which is why EW has never liked romcoms. I enjoy just the light fun adventure that they are so I can’t wait to see Leap Year
I think Nerwen has made a good distinction. You prefer intelligent comedy, because you are “a feminist”. Nerwen prefers “light fun adventure” chock-ful of cliches, because Nerwen is “an idiot”. Or, at least, willing to cut off air to his/her brain long enough to “enjoy” a rom-com like this one.
Wow because I think a woman can be happy with a man and because I actually like to have fun at the movies and enjoy a cute little rom com, that means I’m an idiot.
Actually YOU are the idiot, if you think I care what you think
What a stupid premise this film has. If Adams’ character is so intent on geting married, why doesn’t she just propose to the guy wherever in America it is that she lives? There’s no law that says that it’s the guy who HAS TO propose, otherwise it’s not valid or whatever…
Most moviegoers will pan a movie if it doesn’t play into their preconceived notions about gender and gender roles. If she were to propose, or even discuss marriage in a mature way, the movie could… *GASP* …be less profitable.
You are right, J from SK. It just irks me that Hollywood has that mentality. Now I do enjoy the occasional rom com, but I wish that so many of them weren’t perpetuating the stupid notion that women think they have failed at life if they aren’t married. Look, I am not a hipster or a cynic, and I also dislike the overtly caustic, jaded takes on romance of films like 500 Days of Summer and ONCE. I just wish there was a middle ground. There are women (and men) who totally believe in old-fashioned romance but are more cautious and realistic about it, without necessarily being cynical. I wish more Hollywood films presented a more balanced view of love and courting…like you don’t have to be a Daria/JaneaneGarofalo stereotype, but you don’t have to be a MegRyan/KateHudson cliche either…
I haven’t seen 500 Days of Summer, but what is wrong with Once. I thought it was lovely and yeah, it sucks big time, but sometimes love is unrequited. Sometimes life is complicated and love is returned but you still can’t be together. That doesn’t mean their lives weren’t enriched by the experience.
Once is jaded and cynical? I think you were watching a different movie. The truth is, love can suck. Why does every movie have to end with the man and woman riding off into the sunset? Sometimes it’s nice to see something realistic.
Once was so sweet. He gave her a frickin piano for goodness sakes! That’s love. That’s fresh look on love.
That was my first thought: if she wants to get married so badly, why doesn’t she just tell him or propose to him here? I mean, are there really women out there who never voice their opinions about marriage and then just wait around, expecting the guy to propose? Silly premise, if you ask me. But I love Amy Adams, so I’ll probably watch this the next time I’m home in bed with a cold.
Attn: Nerwen. Don’t use words you don’t understand. Like “feminist”. There are many kinds of women and men who are feminists. Some may like Romantic Comedies, some may not. Its a matter of movie taste. http://www.feministmovement.info
Oh God, not those feminists again! You say it like it’s a dirty word. Not every woman turns to mush at the idea of marriage, believe it or not.
thank you!
I prefer not to have my intelligence questioned when watching movies. Is there such a thing as a current light comedy that does send the female lead into a downward spiral if insipidness? Terminal cuteness does not an actress make.
No one is saying feminists dont want a man or to get married. We just don’t want to be told that our sole purpose in life is to walk down the aisle and if we don’t do it before we’re 32 we’re failures.
Amen, Karen. I am by no means a cynic and love the occasional (well-done) romcom. However, I rolled my eyes at the trailers for 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Bride Wars, and groaned out loud during the tired trailer for Leap Year. It’s been a bad year for this genre. Leap Year is especially disappointing because I expect better of Amy Adams.
It’s as if her agents (or whomever) told her to go out there and be adorable for America. Ick. She is so much better than that. Sad.
Agreed. My girlfriend and I settled down together for an evening together, watching movies. We were twenty minutes into “The Ugly Truth” when we looked at one another and I asked, “Honey, this is crap, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “Yes, it is. Let’s watch ‘Monsters V Aliens’ again. Its portrayal of a modern woman is more realistic.”
Not every movie that an actor or actress does has to be a box office success. Yes, I am an Amy Adams fan and don’t really expect her doing this kind of role, but the movie plot is kind of interesting and seems like a fun thing to do. She’s human too and would like to have fun once in a while and doesn’t have to do an outright drama every year.
K, it’s not about it being a box office success. People are tired of overly cutesy and desperate portrayals of women.
Good piece – and I totally agree – the whole single woman desperate to marry cliche is such a groaner nowadays.
Fact is movie comedies are so outclassed by TV now… you’ll find more laughs in a single episode of Modern Family than in 10 Hollywood rom coms.
The Leap Year trailer was just wretched!
That trailer looked like a Meg Ryan reject from 1986
Reject? Meg ryan DID this movie. It was called French Kiss. It’s not a reject. It’s a recycle. I only wish h-wood didn’t buy into the whole “sustainability” crap so wholeheartedly.
As much as I love rom-coms, I totally agree with this post. The worst offender was The Bachelor back in ’99. I was so offended that the writers of the movie figured that a huge amount of women are so desperate to get married that they not only have a wedding dress in their closet, but would also chase a stranger down the street just to get married. Last years’ Bride Wars was just as bad. Some women do really want to get married, but I don’t know of anyone who acts this horribly!
In the Bachelor (1999), women were chasing Chris not to get married but because of the money he had inherited. But still, the movie was really bad.
I think most intelligent, strong women agree with you, Karen, but as counterpoint I’d like to present every woman who has ever been on the Bachelor.
Touche.
Yes Moi, but I would argue that half of those women on the bachelor are more desperate for fame and their own reality tv show deal then nabbing a ring at the end of the series.
I agree with Natalie. You very rarely find a contestant on The Bachelor who actually thinks they’re going to find true love. Hence most of those women having agents for years before they appear on the show. The only one I can think of who may have just wanted to snag a husband was Melissa Rycroft, and the poor thing was humiliated on national television because of her efforts.
Karen, have you ever sat through an episode of “Bridezillas” or “Platinumn Weddings”? There’s a legion of grown women who exhibit all the cliched bride behavior you described with pride, and there’s a whole generation to follow…..just look at the little girls on those pageant shows. We’re taking a giant step backwards…….
Melissa was on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show on CMT before she was ever on the Bachelor. Makes me doubt her intentions a bit. Did she deserve the humiliation? No. Did she sign up for it? Absolutely.
I was thinking the same thing! And, btw, most single women I know who are over the age of 28 leave the room right before the bride is to throw the bouquet.
I’m 22 and I leave before the bouquet toss. My best friend is getting married in May and I am going to beg her to let me out of that tradition. When (if) I ever get married, there will be no such event.
Yup. Just watch any wedding-related tv show like Say Yes To The Dress or Rich Bride, Poor Bride, where women are literally willing to end up in the poor house for their wedding. As much as I don’t want to see this movie, there are women out there who believe that they’re nothing without their man, and nobody without a huge wedding. There’s a market for this movie. Unfortunately.
P.S. Matthew Goode is beautiful.
Everyone needs a little rom-com escapism once in a while, but I stopped trying to like this movie when Matthew Goode’s character grumbles “women!” under his breath in a misogynistic tone as Amy Adams’ character makes noise upstairs. Yuck.
Although, let’s be honest – women don’t seem to have an issue with generalizing men.
WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE MEN???$&^$%%^#
I know! It’s just so unfair that the dastardly women of the world keep forcing George Clooney to play the same role over and over again. Poor George. The leading roles for men in Hollywood are so limited.
I’m a sucker for crappy romantic comedies starring women I like (and I love Amy Adams although like Sarah I expect more) and even I won’t see this one. The premise pisses me off too much.
Excellent article, Karen. More pieces like this, please! (And I couldn’t agree more about Kimberly Williams in FotB. She was PERFECT. I grew up idolizing that character a little.
Matthew Goode is adorable in “Imagine Me & You”! As far as romcoms go, “Imagine Me & You” is a pretty cute movie (aside from the whole adultery thing, but the way it’s played out doesn’t make it feel like a dirty act).
I meet women every day that act like this. All they talk about is weddings and getting engaged. It’s real.
Agree. It is getting old and tired. The premise is the weakest part of the movie, but Amy Adams and Matthew Goode do everything they can to make it work. It’s the script that falters, definitely not the actors
I like light-hearted films as well as more serious ones. I am a big fan of Amy Adams and can’t wait to see this as well as all the scenic cinematography of Ireland. I can accept not all films will be oscar caliber. Good article, EW!
I agree with Jen. And not only are women portrayed so pathetically desperate in The Bachelor or Bride Wars but Wedding Crashers highlights this stereotypical attribute as well. This notion that women are willing to sleep with any man, any stranger at a wedding because they become teary-eyed, weepy and depressed with their single selves. There is an episode of Sex and the City where the four of them go to a wedding and the bouquet falls on the floor right in front of them, they stare at it for a moment and then look up and bid each other goodbye. No one picks it up or dives for it. It’s funny and it shows the reality of the fact that many women hate having to participate in that silly tradition.
Oh, how I loved that scene!
Even when I was single, I never got up to catch the bouquet. And even though all of my friends ever have gotten married lately (wow, weddings come in a rush!), I have never even seen pushing and shoving to catch the bouquet. Usually, it is just caught by the person it is thrown closest to. This article is excellent.
I was forced to get up and stand with the would-be bouquet catchers at the last wedding I went to. The bouquet came right at me, and I just stepped aside and let the screaming girl behind me dive and catch it. She was just about the only person in the group who wanted the darn thing.
Oh, I have been pushed into the catching zone for the bouquet toss by several brides – why some women forget the what it’s like to be single the moment there’s a ring on their finger, I’ll never know. I always help one of the little girls, like the flower girl, catch the bouquet.
I didn’t throw the bouquet at my wedding, I think it’s such a stupid tradition. My husband agrees, and wanted no part of throwing a garter either.
One funny bouquet story: a married woman caught it at my brother-in-law’s wedding because she wasn’t familiar with the tradition.
A friend has a fantastic picture of me at her wedding, standing in my bridesmaid dress with a look of sheer fright on my face as I dodged the bouquet that was coming right at me. I look like an extra in a godzilla movie who’s about to get crushed. It’s pretty hilarious.
Yep. I concur wholeheartedly. Love the SATC scene. Hopefully the “catching the bouquet” tradition will go away over time, like “beddings.” (Romance novel fans…anyone?) I am 34 now and refuse to participate in another bouquet toss…period!
My sister and one of my bridesmaids were the only single girls at my wedding. The bridesmaid actually reminded me to throw it. I asked if she wanted it, and she said “NO!”. So, I picked it up, called my distracted sister’s name, and tossed it directly to her as soon as she looked at me. (She and her boy have been together for years, but not engaged yet.) She said “DAMMIT!” and then agreed to re-enact the toss, uber-dramatically, for the cameraman.
I was at a wedding once where a woman threw an elbow to catch the bouquet. I, like many of you, either stand in the back of the group or leave the room.
I have only tried to catch a bouquet once (and I did!) but that was because it was made out of white orchids and I thought it would make a pretty centerpiece on my dining room table! Other than that, I sit out or duck.
Oh my, I totally loved that scene in SATC.. I am one of those women who leave the room during the boquet toss…. And yes, there are a few women out there who are wedding crazy (not many I know personally), but the problem is they are centered on the wedding, they forget about the actual MARRIAGE part… PS: Hugh Grant’s character in Four Weddings and A Funeral was a drip who should have picked Fiona. But ultimately, she WAS better off– who want to be with someone who would actually prefer the flakey Andie MCDowell character. UUGGHH….
Agreed, Mickey Z, but it’s too bad that at the end of FWAAF, Fiona ends up marrying an even bigger drip, even if he is royalty!
It’s hard not to believe that women do behave like that in real life when there is so much proof to back it up – the reality shows are just one example. I do agree that it’s about time an ‘intelligent’ romantic comedy is made in yes, the reigns of FWAAF. I can’t remember the last time I saw a good one.
Reality shows are certainly not indicative of the general female population. They are a very small subset of women who often are chasing fame, not love (as another poster noted above). It’s ridiculous do not take contestants from The Bachelor and other reality shows as any sort of accurate sample of women — I certainly don’t think all men are d-bags because of reality TV.
“reality” shows aren’t real. i would hope people realize this.
I think my love of romcoms began and ended with 4 Weddings. I loved both Fiona and Scarlett and identify with both of them. All of the recnt movies of this genre have been just awful drivel. IF I EVER acted like those awful harpies in those films I’d want someone to shoot me.
I am sick of the typical Hollywood rom com in which women are pathetic, desperate, and dying to get married, but I am not a fan of the typical indie, cynical rom com ala 500 Days Of Summer. I think those are as unrealistic as Hollywood’s. Why can’t there be a major romantic comey in which women and men are treated as intelligent human beings, yes, fallible, but not stupid. A romantic comedy in which characters are not fairy-tale like innocent, but not jaded, painfully caustic cynics? There are people in real life who are idealistic, and believe in romance, but who are more realistic about it, without being cynical or jaded…
This is the reason I liked Two Weeks Notice. The characters got to know each other over the course of a year, and only started their romantic relationship when they values complimented each other.
when “their” values complimented each other. I seem to have lost the proofreading part of my skill set.
I loved Two Weeks Notice. No sudden realizations that the person you hated, you now can’t bear to be without. It’s so contrived. One nice weekend with someone does not a life-long match make.
I thought the movie was romantic and predictable but I don’t think it put women down. The characters are both intelligent and successful but businesslike about relationships. So much that love is not at the center of it where it should be. I know alot of older, intelligent, successful women who are hot after a relationship with a man that they want to end in marriage. It is natural and it doesn’t matter how far along men and women have progressed, to partly assign success to the partner you find in your life is something men do and women do it too. I especially like to watch American women finding that success with beautiful Irish men because American men take relationships for granted.