Catch and Release (PG-13)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott: Tonight we are reviewing Catch and Release
, a movie about a young lady whose fiancé dies on the eve of their wedding day; a fiancé she realizes she didn't know all that well.
What did you think Mike?
Mike: I enjoyed this offbeat date movie. I know I am biased as both a huge Jennifer Garner and Kevin Smith fan.
Scott: Yes, so I guess this was almost a dream come true for you to have them both in the same movie right?
Mike: Yes, although this isn't the first time. They were both in Daredevil. She was Elektra and he had a bit part as a scientist.
Scott: I forgot about Daredevil. But in this movie they have a lot more screen time together.
Mike: I was actually very pleased with the amount of screen time Smith gets. I was afraid from the trailer that it would just be another cameo.
As for the movie, it's not like it broke all kinds of new ground, but I found it entertaining and funny.
What did you think?
Scott: This is one of those rare movies where I was actually annoyed while watching it. It starts off on the wrong foot for me and doesn't improve upon itself.
Jennifer Garner is Gray Wheeler, the sad young woman who loses her fiancé. We meet her on the day that was to be their wedding day, and is now his funeral/wake, as she tries to cope with her loss. At the same wake/funeral we meet her future love interest and from the get-go the whole concept of them getting together bothered me.
Mike: Are you upset about the sex scene?
I hope someone gets a little while they are at my funeral.
Scott: Timothy Olyphant plays Fritz, the young man who decides that even though his best friend just died, he had best get some at his funeral.
Mike: I don't think it was his fault, that catering girl was all over him. What was he to do?
Scott: I have no compassion for that character, he just rubbed me the wrong way on that.
Mike: Oh, I guess someone here has never had sex at a funeral?
Scott: Ah, no. Also, with this movie there is no sense of time, so you don't know how long it is between death of the old guy and loving the new guy.
Mike: That is true. The movie does seem to jump quite a bit.
Scott: With a movie like this, you have to suspend disbelief. I just thought it was too much for me. Others, I'm sure, would not have the same issue.
Mike: Actually, this isn't the typical romantic movie. I think the romance almost takes a back seat to the relationship of Wheeler and her fiancé’s friends.
Scott: Except that all of his friends are secretly in love with Wheeler!
Mike: Not Kevin!
Also, the guys being in love with her doesn't really add to the romance.
Scott: No, I think he was too. At one point I thought Smith's character Sam, would be the one to hook up with her.
Mike: By the way, I'm not so secretly in love with her, too. Just ask my wife, she knows.
Scott: You already brought up Smith. I liked him in this. He played the supporting role to a Tee. It was nice to see him out of his Silent Bob character. He was easily the best actor in this movie.
Mike: He is definitely the funniest. I think the man is a triple threat, great director, writer and now actor.
Mike: The other major players are Sam Jaeger as Dennis and Juliette Lewis as Maureen.
I have to tell you that Juliette Lewis can ruin a movie for me in a heartbeat, but I tried to shake it off. I think she is simply horrible in any role she has ever been in. Don't even get me started on Natural Born Killers...
Scott: I liked her in Old School, but it seems that she has been typecast as white trash. And she doesn't play the character as well as Jaime Pressly from My Name is Earl.
I wouldn't mind seeing if she can play another type of role, we need to get her on Lifetime and see what she can do!
Mike: Does she ever play anything different? It makes me think what you see is what you get.
Just to let you know how biased I am, I am looking at a picture of Jennifer Garner the whole time we write this review.
Scott: The movie was written and directed by Susannah Grant. She wrote Erin Brockovich and In Her Shoes. This was not up to par with those. This movie lacked flow and pace and as far as you knew it all took place in 3 days.
Mike: I would agree, but those credits prove that she is a pretty good writer.
Scott: Apparently, that is a skill that isn't always with you with each screenplay/story.
Mike: Remember, though, that this is her first feature film as a director. Everybody can't be Robert Redford on their first film.
I liked the acting and I have a feeling that women may like this movie more than guys will.
Scott: I liked Garner in 13 Going on 30, because I thought she played the innocent, happy character very well. I don't think I like her as the moody, emotional woman though.
Mike: I think that she had a lot of practice crying on Alias. Even though her character Sidney Bristow kicked butt, I think she cried in just about every episode.
Scott: I never saw a single episode of that show, so I wouldn't know.
Mike: Dude, we need to fix that. I may even lend you my box sets of all 5 seasons.
Oh by the way, did I mention that I like Jennifer Garner?
You may cringe, but this movie reminded me some of The Big Chill.
Scott: I didn't get that.
Mike: The structure is similar with friends coming together around the funeral of some guy we never meet.
Scott: Except that everyone in the movie had a crush on the fiancé’s girl.
So what do you rate this?
Mike: I give this movie a 3.5 overall and a 3.5 for date movie.
How about you?
Scott: I give this a 2 overall and a 2 for date movie.
Mike: Make sure you Catch this Release before it’s out of the theaters.
