"It isn't how you get there, it's what you do along the way that counts."
"It isn't how you get there, it's what you do along the way that counts."
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Director: Griffin Dunne Writers: Mimi Hare & Clare Naylor Genre: Comedy - Romance Country: UK/USA Certification: 12+ Language: English DVD Release: 2nd February, 2009[UK]
MAIN CAST:
Uma Thurman [Dr. Emma Lloyd] Jeffrey Dean Morgan [Patrick Sullivan] Colin Firth [Richard Bratton] Sam Shepard [Wilder Lloyd]
Dr. Emma Lloyd is a no-nonsense New York radio DJ who dishes out ‘relationship’ advice that is somewhat heartless and cold – advice that her growing audience seems to love.
When Emma irresponsibly advises a female caller to re-think her relationship with her fiancé whom she is about to marry, she inadvertently makes an enemy out of the jilted fiancé who holds her personally responsible for having destroyed his life.
When the jilted fiancé, Patrick Sullivan, is given the opportunity to wreak vengeance on the woman who destroyed his relationship and his life, he seizes the opportunity in order to destroy the radio DJ’s life. With the assistance of an extremely likeable and clever teen hacker, Patrick will soon find himself married to… the enemy… but that’s okay, because he doesn’t intend for the ‘marriage’ to last longer than the time it takes to get even.
‘The Accidental Husband’, although the masses have given it a relatively
poor feedback rating, is an extremely entertaining movie that possesses a ‘feel good’ atmosphere that is highly infectious.
Although Uma Thurman isn’t your usual rom/com star, she was perfect for the role of Dr. Emma Lloyd. The character outline called for someone who, although possessing a quirky nature, was devoid of the usual blond dizziness – after all, she’s supposed to be an expert in relationships who has earned a doctorate. Yes, she’s blond, she’s somewhat naïve, but she isn’t a pushover. She’s tough, unwavering in her beliefs, and although she’s got a quirky streak to her that is childlike and endearing, she remains an extremely intelligent woman whose wisdom is never questioned… more is it her beliefs that are questionable.
As Uma Thurman’s romantic ‘counterpart’, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays hunky fireman Patrick Sullivan, has managed to come across as the nice guy with a grudge. There’s a lot to like about Patrick – although he’s Emma’s exact opposite and the type of man she considers to be the perfect Mr. Wrong , the two are well-matched and there’s a good amount of chemistry. Although, at first, Colin Firth [who plays Emma’s fiancé Richard Bratton] seems more her type and they are a suitably matched couple, when Patrick steps in he does more than just take up camera space – yes, he is Emma’s exact opposite, yes, Richard appears a far more suitable choice for her, but Patrick isn’t easily discounted as husband material… he’s got oodles of charm and charisma too, just like sexy Brit Richard, but his is more down-to-earth and laidback.
It takes a while for the viewer to accept Patrick as a viable partner to Emma’s highly intelligent and classy personality, but whatever wrinkles show up when the two are ultimately thrown together are cleverly ironed out by a script that calls more for romance than vengeance. Patrick is out to get even, but not to the extent that he will ever cause her harm… in fact, his vengeance is meant to be short and sweet, not prolonged and nasty. This works out well for a character who doesn’t possess a nasty bone in his body… anything other than kindness from his part would have been off-putting. Nice work on the part of the writers who managed to inject a goodly dose of integrity into the main character and allowed him to hold on to it.
The same can be said about Colin Firth’s character. Richard Bratton is the British fiancé who far from being cold and aloof, is genuinely in love with Emma. He isn’t out to use her… he is honest, reliable, romantic and will make the perfect husband. Even after Patrick has stepped into the picture and carved out a space for himself in the viewer’s heart does Richard remain a likeable and steadfast character – often in movies like this one of the characters is made to look bad in order to make another look good… this is meant to increase the viewer’s sympathy towards the character who will eventually win the woman’s heart. That doesn’t happen in this movie… the characters vying for Emma’s heart are both genuinely likable and suitable as Emma’s husband… the ending could go either way with the same result… one of them will be rejected.
Which one?
The answer is sooooo obvious… after all, this is a rom/com… but that doesn’t matter because the story is extremely good, the dialogue is fantastic, and although there are more than a few laugh aloud moments, the comedy aspect is never milked or forced… it just happens. The characters are never made to look like idiots, and that’s an added bonus.
I really enjoyed this movie, and so did my husband. It isn’t a silly chic flick – there’s a depth and substance to the male characters that is genuine and realistic, and the script wasn’t written from a woman’s point of view regardless that it was written by two women. There is plenty of focus on the men in this movie, and the viewer is often made to see things from their perspective.
A highly entertaining ‘feel good’ movie… so what are you waiting for, pass the popcorn.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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