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I must be living in a parallel universe. I’ve
seen two teen romantic comedies in a row and liked them both. Maybe
there is a Santa Claus after all. I can’t tell you how much
I thought I would despise this movie. I’m pleased to report
that it actually doesn’t suck and is an entertaining, sweet
film. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fairly cliché
and predictable, but succeeds in areas that are vitally important
to have a good film. The story is well written and the actors do
a fantastic job of playing their characters. That’s the nuts
and bolts of filmmaking. If you’ve got those two things going
for you, then it’s likely that the movie will be good. Win
a Date with Tad Hamilton is disarmingly good. Teenage girls all
over are going to get their money’s worth.
Kate Bosworth plays small-town Virginia girl Rosalee Futch. She
works at the local supermarket (the Piggly Wiggly) with her two
best friends, Pete Monash (Topher Grace) and Cathy Freely (Ginnifer
Goodwin). Pete is also the manager and a good one at that. The Piggly
Wiggly higher-ups have been itching to send him to a bigger store
in Richmond. His unrequited love for Rosalee is the only thing holding
him back. Rosalee and Cathy are complete fanatics of hunky Hollywood
star Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel). They drag Pete to see his movies
and spend their lunch breaks extolling his virtues. Fortunes change
when Rosalee wins a contest that gets her a date with the matinee
idol. The contest is actually a gimmick by Tad’s agents (Nathan
Lane and Sean Hayes) to drum up some good publicity. Tad has some
pictures of him driving drunk and fondling a supermodel plastered
all over the tabloids. They need some good press to win Tad a coveted
leading role in a blockbuster movie. Warning her about protecting
her virtue, Pete watches as Rosalee goes to LA for the big date.
Tad, who’s expecting an ugly country girl, is quite shocked
by how beautiful Rosalee is. She captivates him even more when she
turns down his attempts to sleep with her. Rosalee of course is
smitten, but not easy. She goes back home blown away by the experience,
but is even more surprised when Tad follows her. He’s fallen
in love. Convinced that she can help him find himself and tame his
destructive ways. Tad’s presence is of course the worst possible
scenario for Pete. Now he has to compete with a movie star for the
woman he loves.
There is never any doubt to the outcome of the film. The shocker
is that the story is funny, sweet, and fairly clever. Here is where
the screenwriters went right. They made Tad Hamilton a legitimate
character that is really in love with Rosalee. He’s got his
issues, but is not a bad guy and has honest motives. Obviously the
audience roots for Pete, but Tad is every woman’s dream come
true, right down to the Brad Pitt-esque six pack. I kept waiting
for some terrible thing to happen where we find out what a jerk
Tad is. Doesn’t happen, Tad is out for Rosalee just as much
as Pete is. I love the scene where Pete finally realizes that he
can’t compete with Tad. Rosalee’s father gives him some
straight dope on life, “Sometimes Goliath beats the s**t out
of David. You never hear it because it’s not a good story”.
That’s a great line and it amazes me that it’s from
this movie.
The characters are well portrayed by the actors. Kate Bosworth
nails small town Rosalee. She’s a sweet girl, but not naïve
or homely. I think Kate Bosworth is underrated. She torched the
screen in Wonderland and follows it up with a potentially generic
role. The fact that we buy her in this situation speaks volumes
on talent. Topher Grace, Eric Forman from That 70’s Show,
is by far the best part of this film. He’s kind of just playing
Eric in Virginia, but is totally believable as the witty, hapless
Pete. I think most actors fail when going for this kind of “Average
Joe” character. Topher Grace pulls it off smoothly, a deft
feat of a decent actor. I hope and pray that he starts gaining fame
so Ashton Kutcher can get out of the spotlight. It’s a tie
between him and Paris Hilton for the people I’m absolutely
sick of seeing. Josh Duhamel gets a good character with Tad and
doesn’t blow it. His scenes in LA and Virginia are very satirical
and humorous. He holds his own with Kate Bosworth, making their
romance quite believable.
I think that this film is a great date movie. Women will love
it and guys will be able to laugh at it. They pour on the melodrama
pretty thick in the end, but that’s expected. In fact, the
last shot of the film is a smart send-up of a stereotypical romantic
comedy ending. I’d be curious to see what the numbers are,
but I’d bet good word of mouth will make this film a hit.
Then we’d have Win Another Date with Tad Hamilton in two years.
I’m not sure I can handle that. |