“Down With Love” (20th Century Fox)
It must have sounded like a good idea on paper. Take the old Rock Hudson/Doris Day type movies of the sixties and give them a modern spin while staying true to the look and feel of the original. Call the film “Down With Love” and cast hotter than hot stars Rene “Chicago” Zellwegger and Ewan “Moulin Rouge” McGregor as the stars. That is a combination that just can’t fail. Yeah, they said that about the Titanic too.
“Down With Love” fails on every level. The story of a small town girl who authors a best seller about love is stupid. Add to that her being pursued by a Hugh Hefner playboy type and it gets even dumber. It sounds cute but it just isn’t.
Zellwegger plays Barbara Novak, the author. McGregor plays Catcher Block, the playboy. Novak’s book is called DOWN WITH LOVE and espouses the theory that women can be just like men. They can avoid marriage and be successful businesswomen, for love and marriage are not necessities.
Catcher Block plans to prove Barbara is a fraud. He thinks he can convince her she wants to be a housewife just like every other woman. He adopts the persona of Skip Martin, a very shy astronaut, and plays hard to get. Barbara of course finds him irresistible. Yeah, sure!
Zellwegger is okay as Barbara but she is no Doris Day. McGregor looks like Laurence Harvey of “The Manchurian Candidate” and has no charisma at all. And as for chemistry between him and Zellwegger – forget it! It is only in the musical number they do as the credits are rolling, that they actually seem to like each other.
David Hyde Pierce is also wasted as Catcher’s boss. He is just playing another variation on Niles from “Frazier” and it is getting wearisome. Sarah Paulson is bland as Barbara’s editor Vicki. As a continuation of the homage to the old Hudson/Day movies, Tony Randall makes an appearance as the owner of Barbara’s publishing company.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and sexual innuendoes.
There is just no magic in this movie. It starts out bright and gets dimmer and dimmer and dimmer. What should have been clever is clunky; what should have been witty is witless; and what should have been daffy is decrepit.
You won’t come out of this movie thinking “down with love.” You will be thinking “down with movies like ‘Down With Love’.”
I scored “Down With Love” a pillow talked 3 out of 10.
