Opened May 1, 2009
PG-13: sexual content and language may offend
Fandango‘s synopsis: “A bachelor goes to his younger brother’s wedding, where he is visited by the ghosts of his past girlfriends.”
For those who are a little slow on the uptake, this is a spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Matthew McConaughey is Connor Mead, who is this movie’s Scrooge. Yeah, that sounds a lot more far-fetched than it actually is. He plays cynical really well. Not too far a stretch to think of good ol‘ Matt as a non-believer in long-term monogamy, what with the naked bongo-playing, affinity for super-models and laid-back beach bum persona. Really, it’s his “epiphany” at the end that I had trouble believing. But I’ll get to that in a minute.
Michael Douglas is Uncle Wayne (Marley). Perfectly cast as a ’70s era swinging, boozing, womanizer, he gives Matt the sage advice “you made your bed, kid, now you’re gonna have to bang whatever crawls into it”. If only we all had an Uncle Wayne to dispense such wisdom! Douglas is outrageous, cartoonish, over the top… exactly what the movie needed! He’s hilarious and some of the funniest stuff in the whole thing. His advice to a pubescent Connor is truly cringe-worthy and I challenge you not to shed a tear of laughter!
Jennifer Garner is beautiful… and wasted in this movie. She’s the “girlfriend past” – the lost love. She’s under-utilized and I think totally under-appreciated. She has some serious comedic chops and is much more than just a pretty face. However, she is probably one of the only actresses really capable of holding her own again Matthew’s smooth-talking southern drawl without fluttering an eyelash. She’s strong, confident (and TALL) and we never doubt her for a minute. She’s too good for this movie. I really wanted to see her kick some ass!
And interesting bit of trivia here: Christa B. Allen plays teenage Jenny. Some of you may recognize her. She played the younger version of Jennifer Garner’s character in 13 Going on 30.
The story itself has some clever moments, some laughs, a little charm. But little originality. It relies almost exclusively on the charm, wit and charisma of it’s stars. You’re coming to see Matt’s dimples (and hoping in vain for a glimpse of that six-pack) or Jennifer’s legs (they are awesome and still chin high) or Michael’s ego (barely fit on the screen!) And the timeline doesn’t work, I fear the victim of poor editing. We are supposed to believe that Matt was 7, no wait 6, in 1982? really? That would make him… 33. Yeah, riiiiiiggght. And I’m a size 2. But then that makes him 16 in 1992, and the middle and high school scenes are CLEARLY set in the mid-80s, all acid wash denim and scrunchies. No, they botched that up pretty badly and it’s glaring.
I would say the high-light was at the end, when Matt wakes up, runs to the window, throws up the sash and calls to the boy shoveling snow below “Young man there, is it Christmas?” His response is classic “No, it’s Saturday, you moron!” Ah, I love a good wink and nod! And even though I don’t find Matt’s “transformation” convincing to say the least, it ends exactly like it’s supposed to. This is a romantic comedy after all.
My overall review: eh, it’s cute and funny, it has charm. If you’re jonesing for some Matt, then by all means don’t let me stop you. Otherwise, put it in your Netflix cue.
