Well, everyone seems to be concentrating on the fact that this was advertised as a romantic comedy and it is neither romantic, nor a comedy. That is definitely true.
Aside from that, however, it is a poorly-made movie. The timing is off (comic and otherwise), the editing is off pace, and the writing is clunky. I've read a lot of user comments that mention the fantastic "depth of character". Let me just say that having characters that act like immature jerks instead of typical movie star characters does not automatically qualify as character developmentit's just different and new, not real "character development". There are many characters that we get to know a little and are left with NO wrap-up for. The main characters are the only ones we get closure for, but even they are not people we really care about by the end of the movie. I felt when we left the theater that Aniston and Vaughn had so little chemistry it's hard to believe they developed a romance off the set.
The biggest problem is consistency. If you're going to make Vaughn's character a beyond believable inconsiderate jerk, this same character would not make a 180 degree turn around after a short erudite "pep talk" from his bartender friend. By the same token, if you're going to make Aniston's character the kind of person who would put up with this behavior for so long, she would NOT in real life totally change her mind about him a few days after sobbing in her bedroom about their relationship when he finally makes the list of changes she wants (minus the bowl of lemons and ballet tickets he should have had on that table with the dinner).
As an aside, I know that I am probably the only one who feels this way, but the language was much rougher than I was expecting. If you go to see Lethal Weapon 18, you expect F's and GD's galore, but it really took me by surprise in a romantic comedy, especially since there are so many GD's in the first 15 minutes of the movie. I just mention it for the record.
All in all, I would pay another $15 just to have that two hours of my life back. And while we're at it, I am really sick of the marketing geniuses advertising movies in such a way that you have no idea what you're walking into. It makes the viewer give it even worse word-of-mouth than they would have otherwise. You can bet I've already written an email to all my friends telling them what a huge disappointment this movie was and to avoid it.
To sum up: Sloppy execution, poor characters, inconsistent follow-through, and a really crappy ending. Save this one for DVD and even then, wait for it to be taken off the "new releases" wall so you don't have to pay as much for it, or better yet, maybe you'll get lucky and your library will carry it and you will be able to pay NOTHING for it which is basically what it's worth.
Aside from that, however, it is a poorly-made movie. The timing is off (comic and otherwise), the editing is off pace, and the writing is clunky. I've read a lot of user comments that mention the fantastic "depth of character". Let me just say that having characters that act like immature jerks instead of typical movie star characters does not automatically qualify as character developmentit's just different and new, not real "character development". There are many characters that we get to know a little and are left with NO wrap-up for. The main characters are the only ones we get closure for, but even they are not people we really care about by the end of the movie. I felt when we left the theater that Aniston and Vaughn had so little chemistry it's hard to believe they developed a romance off the set.
The biggest problem is consistency. If you're going to make Vaughn's character a beyond believable inconsiderate jerk, this same character would not make a 180 degree turn around after a short erudite "pep talk" from his bartender friend. By the same token, if you're going to make Aniston's character the kind of person who would put up with this behavior for so long, she would NOT in real life totally change her mind about him a few days after sobbing in her bedroom about their relationship when he finally makes the list of changes she wants (minus the bowl of lemons and ballet tickets he should have had on that table with the dinner).
As an aside, I know that I am probably the only one who feels this way, but the language was much rougher than I was expecting. If you go to see Lethal Weapon 18, you expect F's and GD's galore, but it really took me by surprise in a romantic comedy, especially since there are so many GD's in the first 15 minutes of the movie. I just mention it for the record.
All in all, I would pay another $15 just to have that two hours of my life back. And while we're at it, I am really sick of the marketing geniuses advertising movies in such a way that you have no idea what you're walking into. It makes the viewer give it even worse word-of-mouth than they would have otherwise. You can bet I've already written an email to all my friends telling them what a huge disappointment this movie was and to avoid it.
To sum up: Sloppy execution, poor characters, inconsistent follow-through, and a really crappy ending. Save this one for DVD and even then, wait for it to be taken off the "new releases" wall so you don't have to pay as much for it, or better yet, maybe you'll get lucky and your library will carry it and you will be able to pay NOTHING for it which is basically what it's worth.