Leap Year

The makers of Leap Year should thank their lucky stars that they were somehow able to convince the very talented Amy Adams (Julie and Julia) and Matthew Goode (Watchmen) that this forgettable little movie was worth their talents and valuable time. Their charm and screen presence keep this often leaden film afloat, and turn what should be a terribly mediocre movie, into a still-mediocre, but watchable one. I can picture things easily turning out differently if the lead roles had been filled by, oh say, Jessica Simpson and Rob Schneider.

Amy Adams plays Anna, a woman whose life is so structured, she seems to have everything under control. Her job as a "real estate stager" (her job is to set up open houses with flowers, furniture, and free cookies for potential customers) is structured down to the very last detail, as is her relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Jeremy (Adam Scott). He's a cardiologist she's been dating for four years, and Anna thinks Jeremy is set to propose to her during a dinner date right before he leaves for Dublin for a convention. He disappoints her with earrings instead, takes off for Ireland, and that's when Anna remembers an old Irish tradition that her father (John Lithgow, in a cameo that can't last more than three minutes) told her about, that on every leap year on February 29th, a woman can propose to a man. She's on the next flight to Dublin to track Jeremy down, and finds her life thrown into chaos when everything starts to go wrong.

The flight is diverted to a small Irish town, due to a severe storm, and as Anna desperately tries to find another way to Dublin, she finds herself in a pub run by the attractive, but cynical Declan (Matthew Goode). Declan is rude, short tempered, and doesn't believe in love. There's evidence that he did at one time (Anna finds a photo of him smiling with a pretty young woman, only to have him snatch it away from her seconds later.), but that was long ago. Fate brings the two together, and before either one of them knows it, he's offering to drive her to Dublin. The cliches of the romantic comedy and mismatched buddy road trip genres start flying fast and furious at this point. They deal with colorful locals, cows, mother nature, having to share the same bed, and their growing feelings for one another. Will both Anna and Declan have a change of heart, and begin to feel they're right for each other on their way to Dublin? Will the sun rise in the east and set in the west tomorrow?

Leap Year is one of those movies where you not only feel like you've seen it all before, but you feel like you've seen the characters all before. The audience is constantly one step ahead of them, and you get the feeling that Anna and Declan have never watched a movie in their lives. If they had, they would know exactly how to handle every situation they're thrown into, which is usually lifted from another comedy. They behave like people from those movies, as well. Anna starts out overly-structured, kind of shallow, and a little cartoonish. The first half treats her as a magnet for slapstick gags, such as when she unwisely tries to plug her cell phone into an overseas outlet, and winds up electrocuting herself, and knocking out the power to the entire town. Fortunately, the movie drops this angle fairly soon after that, and softens the character up as she begins to warm herself toward Declan. This is when Adams' performance starts to stand out, as well. Goode's character also starts out kind of harsh. He plays an angry jerk a little too well, and at first, we're put off by him. Once again, his performance improves when his character lightens up.

It's these performances that keep our attention, not the workmanlike screenplay by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (Made of Honor), or the direction by Anand Tucker (Shopgirl). Another thing that captures our interest is the picturesque Irish countryside, which we fortunately get to see a lot of during this movie. It's one of the few things about Leap Year that actually stands out as being unique. Everything else is old hat. The colorful locals could have walked out of an Irish Spring soap commercial, and the situations are often ridiculously contrived. The only reason to watch is for Adams and Goode, who often come across as being better than the material they've been given. They're giving it their all up there on the screen, but you sometimes find yourself asking why, and what drew them to the script in the first place.

It's still pretty harmless, as far as January fare goes. Watching it, you get the sense the studio was smart to release this film now, rather than closer to Valentine's Day. As a romantic comedy, Leap Year doesn't strive to be any better than it needs to be. Women looking for something to kill a dreary afternoon with will find what they are looking for. Everyone else probably will forget this movie was even in theaters by March.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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