Friday, February 17, 2012

Something Borrowed - DVD Review




Starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesford, Steve Howey, Ashley Williams and Geoff Pierson.
Directed by Luke Greenfield.

★½

Do women friends really get together and do dance numbers with each other in their living rooms?  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a chick flick where the two or three of them just start dancing to an oldie.  The oldie in question here in Salt N Pepa's "Push It".

As likeable an actress as Ginnifer Goodwin is, I couldn't feel too bad for her doormat Rachel.  She and Darcy (Kate Hudson) have been best friends their whole lives, and Rachel is the sweet mousy friend, the Marcie to Darcy's Peppermint Patty, the Milhouse to her Bart.  Darcy is loud and selfish and always gets her way, and so we're supposed to root against her when she gets engaged to Dex (Colin Egglesford), a bland model of a love interest who was friends with Rachel in law school.

Rachel and Dex were meant to be together, because the soundtrack says so.  Darcy's the obnoxious shrew that we're supposed to root against, but eventually we dislike Rachel for allowing Darcy to steamroll her at every turn, for Rachel to not have a spine even though several moments present themselves.  And Dex is just as passive and spineless as Rachel.

Watching all of this from his wry platonic perch is Ethan (John Krasinski), the lone bright-spot of reason in the movie who is incredulous that this love-triangle is going on but no one will admit it. Krasinski is an MVP here, a life-saver.

Just when I thought the movie might make some brave, interesting choice, it dodges and settles on the stereotype.  Krasinski and Goodwin deserve better.  Hudson, well, lately there's no more sure-fire guarantee the movie sucks than to have her in it. I expect her to play Adam Sandler's love interest in something eventually.

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