Lovely & Amazing

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: August 31, 2001

DVD Release Date: November 26, 2002

Plot 411: Life lived in a family dominated by women and all of their insecurities.

Review: I really enjoyed this quirky indie flick about the lives of a mother and her daughters. Everything was based in reality and nothing was sugar coated. Life is lived one day at a time and you take the ups and downs as they come. This movie came across as very genuine and honest. There were no easy answers or solutions to the issues that confront the characters. Brenda Blethyn plays Jane, the matriarch of a family of daughters who decides to get lypo done. During this time, she asks her daughters, Michelle (Catherine Keener) and Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), to look after her youngest, Annie (Raven Goodwin). Annie is a black girl who Jane adopted, and she struggles with ideas of beauty. Michelle is a artist who canot sell any of her crafts and is unhappily married to man that's cheating on her. Elizabeth is an insecure actress constantly questioning her self worth. All the characters are threatened by their own personal demons, and the film comments on the fact that these insecurites are passed from one generation to the next despite all the love that the family has for one another. Also in this film are Jake Gyllenhaal and Dermot Mulroney.

Watch It: For the realistic portrayal of the absurdity that is life. People are really messed up.

Skip It: Because it's one of those movies that doesn't really have a beginning, middle or end. You walk away without a resolution because life can't just be wrapped up in 90 minutes.

The Wedding Date

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: February 4, 2005

DVD Release Date: August 16, 2005

Plot 411: Kat hires a male escort to come with her to her sister's wedding in England . . . then falls for the guy.

Review: First off, this is another chick lit book (see Confessions Of A Shopaholic) that is somewhat ruined by Hollywood in its attempt to adapt the book to the screen. If you can get your hands Asking For Trouble by Elizabeth Young, it's definitely worth the read. The plot used as the basis for this film happens in about the first quarter of the book, if I remember correctly. Anyway, Debra Messing plays Kat, a woman who posts a newspaper ad for a male escort to her younger sister's (Amy Adams) wedding. Nick (Dermot Mulroney) answers the call and the two pose as a couple for the complicated family affair. I think I'll leave it at that. Personally, I loved this film because it was quirky and had twists that were actually pretty heavy for a rom com. The plot was unique (although, like I said, the book is better) and the characters were believable. I cannot even fathom how Adams could portray such a spoiled brat in this film. Amazing! While I don't find Mulroney that attractive, he somehow pulled off the role as a male escort. I think it's his charisma and a deep voice that'll make any woman's knees quake. As always, Messing is hilarious in that amped up chihuahua kind of way. She's always frantic and nervous and when you contrast that with Mulroney's calm and collected attitude, they just seem to work. My favorite character though was Kat's British cousin TJ (Sarah Parish). She is fricken hysterical.

Watch It: After reading the book . . . or

Skip It: Completely for the book.

My Best Friend's Wedding

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: June 20, 1997

DVD Release Date: December 10, 1997

Plot 411: A guy and a girl are best friends forever until all hell breaks loose when he tells her that he's met someone and is getting married.

Review: This is one of my all-time favorite rom-coms. I love Julia Roberts in this and Cameron Diaz is her normal perky self. This movie got me through many bad days in high school and into college and helped me believe that there's always hope for happiness. One of the best things about this film is that Roberts' character is very realistic (although I don't know if some of her actions are). The idea that her friendship with this guy is hers and hers alone probably how many people feel. When someone new comes into the picture, whether it's on the guy's part or the girl's, it rocks the boat and people like to cling to the norm. This film addresses change, and change in a major way.

Watch It: For great rom-com bungles and beats, some singing and great one-liners.

Skip It: If Roberts' mouth is too big, Diaz is too perky or you just can't stand Dermot Mulroney's monotone voice.

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