Pretty Woman, The Back Up Plan, The Invention of Lying

It's romcom time...


#1 - PRETTY WOMAN

Stars - Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Hector Elizondo, Laura San Giacamo

Director - Garry Marshall

Memorable Quote - "In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight."

Review - This is a classic, and you can tell right away by how good the soundtrack is. Even as someone who was not born when the film came out, I recognised every single song playing in the background, marking this out as a huge part of popular culture at the time. Gere shines in this with a face full of expression and a character that keeps you guessing for quite a while, as Roberts is full of energy and some kind of charm that only a newcomer to Hollywood could bring to the table. Her manners and way of walking complete the characterisation right down to a T, making this a special performance that is, ironically, a far cry from what she normally achieves these days. It is ironic, indeed, to think of the stereotype of the classy woman that she often falls victim to these days! The scene where she returns to the clothes shop where they refused to help her is a classic, and the hotel manager is a real charmer too. The only criticism I could have is how awkward and passionless it seems when they kiss and how much I had to shout OH GOD STOP KISSING OH GOD before they did. 3.5/5

#2 - THE BACK UP PLAN

Stars - Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, Michaela Watkins

Director - Kate Angelo

Memorable Quote - "You stole my cab!"

Review - This one is maybe stretching the boundaries of believability to create a madcap situation, but actually I enjoyed it. I was ill and couldn't eat anything and had to wear five blankets to stop shivering, and this was exactly what I needed to feel better. I actually laughed out loud at a couple of points, and for a nothing of a romcom you can't say fairer than that. Obviously don't go into it expecting Fight Club-esque twists and clever lines, but for the genre it is one of the better ones, and definitely scores well on the ratings list of Lopez movies. It's feel good and it's funny. 4/5

#3 - THE INVENTION OF LYING

Stars - Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, a million smaller parts

Director - Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson

Memorable Quote - "Ok, you're annoying me. Your voice is shrill. Goodbye."

Review - It seems Gervais has Hollywood in the palm of his hand at the moment, and one wonders how long it can last. This is another outing of the same character that he always plays, and while it is funny it just seems to be another example of "Ricky Gervais in x scenario". The voiceover at the start feels forced and put me off quite a bit, but it does get better. There are some sections where the dialogue sound is removed and this is nicely done, though you almost begin to feel as though the whole "man in the sky" segment is done just to be controversial on purpose - a tactic which I never find impressive. 3/5

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