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The Vow starring Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams and Jessica Lange

Posted on July 11, 2012 Written by ripitup

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The-Vow-Movie-Poster with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams
The-Vow-Movie-Poster with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. Image via disneydreaming.

The Vow is Worth Seeing: Feat. Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman & Jessica Lange

The Premise

Sculptor Paige (Rachel McAdams) and record studio owner Leo (Channing Tatum) are happily married and deeply in love – until they have a car accident that gives Paige selective amnesia- the last 5 years of her life are completely gone, all of 5 years in which she met and has been with Leo. Leo does his best to help, but things get complicated when Paige’s parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange), who she hasn’t spoken to in 5 years, show up and want to make a fresh start by taking advantage of her lost memories (and anger towards them.) Leo somewhat manages to persuade Paige to come back with him, but whatever he does seem to either upset or annoy Paige so she decides to stay with her parents for a while.

And not only she doesn’t remember Leo at all, the last thing she remembers is being in love with her ex-fiancé, Jeremy (Scott Speedman)- who is more than willing to take her back as he was never really over her in the first place.

We are given lovely flashbacks to how their relationship has been like, making us root for her and Leo- with or without her regaining her memory.

Can Leo make her fall in love with her again? Can he really handle that his wife only seems to be developing a crush towards him when he is madly in love with her? Will Paige’s memory ever come back, and how long can Leo hang on before having to let go?

I Loved It, but I’d Planned on Hating It.

I was so ready to find The Vow mediocre, yet I loved it. OK, for me to find it bad would have been strange – given that I love Rachel McAdams and can’t resist a good-looking lead, in this case Channing Tatum, who plays a very romantic character.

But come on. Amnesia and the question whether true love could conquer that? It sounded like a Nicholas Sparks novel. But then again, had he written it, either Rachel’s or Channing’s character would probably end up dead. They don’t die, so consider this one a very positive and needed “spoiler.”

But The Vow, especially for the diehard romantics, is touching and heartwarming. While it has more clichés than we can count, it makes them work and at the end of the day, it is all that matters.

The Clichés: Good and Bad

-Two beautiful people deeply in love. Oh, and not an ounce of fat or flaw on either of them.

– A great cast (Jessica Lange, Sam Neill as parents. And I like McAdams too), with many pretty actors: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman (Underworld, Underworld Evolution, 24th Day), Dillon Casey (Nikita), Lucas Bryant (Haven).

-Amnesia.

-The compromising mother who just accepts everything because……Nah. See the movie. But if I had a dime every time the married got away with what he did….

The Vow: The Perks

– Good soundtrack

– Great emotional/entertaining moments.

– A happy ending that is quite realistic that is based on a true story.

– The ex wasn’t a cheater and/or a jackass.

 

Why It Can Win You Over – despite the clichés

The Vow won me over. Because as typical as the storyline was, it was still hard not to feel empathy for all the characters (apart from maybe Jessica Lange and Sam Neill’s-at least until towards the end.)

I loved the little details such as how Leo won his sister-in-love over with the made-up Thom Yorke (front man of Radiohead) story, and how the story pretty much ended on a better note for everyone (except for one- you can guess who.)

And in the end, it is the right amount of cheesy yet heartfelt romance. What if it is a chick flick? It is a darn good one. If you want to cut down romance and see a different kind of film from McAdams, watch The Lucky Ones or Red Eye. If you want the romance to be a background device and comedy in the center, watch Morning Glory.

Hell, if you want Scott Speedman winning the girl’s heart, watch Underworld Evolution. It’s filled with vampires and werewolves and Speedman plays a hybrid. And I do prefer him with long hair anyway.

But as far as romantic escapism goes, it is a pretty good one.

 

The Criticisms

Audiences love oversimplifying things. Some people are calling Paige a bitch, whereas some find Leo a stupid, insensitive jerk. Guess what? They are all right. And all wrong. Because they both needed help, and they just needed to empathize a bit more. And where was the therapy?

 

Leo and Paige needed therapy, you just can’t deal with something on your own – especially when no one involved can be impartial. Yeah- and a separate therapy session for her family please.

 

But people make mistakes, hurt each other and if there is a way to come back from it, they do. Whether the relationship is worth it makes all the difference. Theirs was.

 

Recommended for:

 

  • All fans of the cast. Although if you are watching solely for Sam Neill you are better off watching Alcatraz as he is the main character, who incidentally has a long-lost love who is/was in a coma. For Dillon Casey, who plays the sister’s fiancé, you can always tune in to Nikita’s second season.

 

  • Chick flick fans. And I am a romantic chick, so I am not using the term condescendingly.

 

  • Those who think Nicholas Sparks could write some happy endings.

For those who compare it to The Notebook (also starring Rachel McAdams), I will write a compare/contrast post just like I did for Keith and A Walk to Remember.

Rated 6.6 on IMDB, a 7 from me. My love rate? 8/10.  Enjoy!

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: channing tatum, Dillon casey, dillon casey nikita, drama, haven lucas bryant, Jessica Lange, lucas bryant, Rachel McAdams, romance, sam neill, sam neill alctraz, Scott Speedman, scott speedman underworld evolution, The Vow, the vow 2012 movie, the vow cast, the vow dvd, the vow movie, the vow movie review

State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams and Helen Mirren

Posted on June 3, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Also feat. Robin Wright, Jason Bateman & Jeff Daniels

State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams and Helen Mirren feat. Robin Wright, Jason Bateman & Jeff Daniels.
State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams and Helen Mirren feat. Robin Wright, Jason Bateman & Jeff Daniels. Image via movie-list.com

 

Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is a smart and successful congressman investigating private “mercenary-providing” companies. His good reputation goes down the drain, however, when his assistant is killed, and it is revealed that they were having an affair.

A grieving Stephen has his career and marriage on the line and the only person who can help him is his old university friend, journalist for the Washington Globe, Cal (Russell Crowe). As he digs more into the story, initially to help Stephen get out of the mess, he stumbles into political agendas, conflicts of interest (including his own) and life-risking situations.

Throw in a full-brown government-related conspiracy, emotional baggage between Cal and Stephen’s wife (Robin Wright), a blogger-turning-into-a-reporter named Della (Rachel McAdams) helping Cal, an ambitious editor (Helen Mirren) getting impatient and caring less about loyalties and manners and more about the juice and you have a very entertaining and gripping political thriller, with the stellar cast as a bonus.

State of Play flows like a well-written novel: slower at times, but only to build up for the more significant upcoming scenes and/or to make things even more complicated.

Why I Loved State of Play

–          All characters are pretty much as grey as it gets, although Rachel McAdams’ character seems to evolve and learn the most.

–          Cal does try to protect his friend from a downfall- but his sense of loyalty hasn’t stopped him from sleeping with his wife in the past.

–          The enthusiastic blogger turns into a reporter who cares about the ethics and the safety of the others more than the seasoned reporters she is working with.

–           It’s great that there is no romance between Cal and Della – in fact, Cal’s personal life is pretty much doomed but he has no intention of doing anything about it. He has a story to write.

–          The more desperate Della and Cal get, the more creative they get in getting their information and evidence.

–          Nothing is ever what it seems- except when it comes to the Cal, Della and Cameron (Helen Mirren) who might make some bad decisions, border on breaking the law and disagree on a lot of things.

–          The journalist-aka the protagonist- is a not a fit, muscular guy who can take care of himself.

–          The cast.

 

 

Well, there are more, but these are the first that came to my mind. It is not perfect, but it is pretty damn good. Rated at 7.2 on IMDB – voted by over 62.000 people. 8/10 from me.

Directed by Kevin MacDonald (Last King of Scotland). Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom, Lions for Lambs) , Tony Gilroy (Duplicity) and Billy Ray- based on the series by Paul Abbott.

Other Posts on The Cast

Russell Crowe:

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

Ben Affleck:

The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello & Kevin Costner

Ben Affleck Trivia: 13 Facts About Ben Affleck Movies, His Wife Jennifer Garner and More

Rachel McAdams

Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law & Rachel McAdams

The Time Traveler’s Wife starring Eric Bana & Rachel McAdams

Nicolas Sparks vs. Happy Endings: The Notebook starring Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling

Wedding Crashers starring Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson & Rachel McAdams

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: ben affleck, helen mirren, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, russell crowe, state of play, state of play 2009 movie, state of play cast, state of play movie, state of play movie review

Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton & Patrick Wilson

Posted on March 29, 2011 Written by ripitup

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Morning Glory starring Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton & Patrick Wilson
Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton & Patrick Wilson. Featuring John Pankow, Jeff Goldblum & Ty Burrell. Image via shockya.com

Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is a young and accomplished TV show producer. She is all about her work, so she doesn’t really care that much when her obsessive work habits scare off her dates. She is crushed, however, when she gets replaced by another producer. So she frantically sends out resumes and desperately hangs on to the one interview she manages to score:  producing the morning show at IBS. Her enthusiasm persuades her desperate boss Jerry Barnes (Jerry Goldblum) is hired.

But soon she realizes that she has more problems than a low paycheck and current low ratings of the show: The female host Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) is pretty sure Becky will soon be replaced, and the male host (Ty Burrell – Phil of Modern Family) is a complete jackass. She fires him, but now she has to find a new male host. Unfortunately, the network has no budget for a good, new host. Desperate, Becky decides to go after her idol, legendary news personality Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), who has a contract at the network but not much reporting to do.

It will be excruciating to try to persuade him to co-host. And it will be even more frustrating to be able to handle Colleen when he is being all conceited and difficult.  After all, according to his former colleague Adam (Patrick Wilson), Mike is the third worst person in the world!

It takes all of Becky’s energy to try save the show without losing her mind. And she also has to deal with the fact that Adam is interested in her, and her relationship with him might be worth the hassle. Can Becky handle it all?

**

Morning Glory is a lovely comedy with some emotional moments. The plot is pretty good, and the cast is even better. I love a movie where I can gather a lot of my favorite actors in one place. It was also really fun to see John Pankow, Episodes’ jackass network producer Merc, play a really nice guy in this movie. He is friendly, helpful and loyal. And he is a family man. Quite a nice contrast.

And as opposed to most Harrison Ford fans, I enjoy him more in comedies, and this is no exception. He is as the perfect grumpy old bastard.

Morning Glory is a must see, especially for people who really love their careers.  It is a lovely tale on saving your job, making friends with the most unlikely people and having a good relationship on the side. Strongly recommended.

Written by Aline Brosh McKenna (Three to Tango, Laws of Attraction). Directed by Roger Michell (Changing Lanes, Persuasion).

Also on Rachel McAdams

Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law & Rachel McAdams

The Time Traveler’s Wife starring Eric Bana & Rachel McAdams

Nicolas Sparks vs. Happy Endings: The Notebook starring Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling

Wedding Crashers starring Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson & Rachel McAdams

Also on Harrison Ford

The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany and Virginia Madsen

Six Days Seven Nights starring Harrison Ford and Anne Heche

Extraordinary Measures starring Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell

Air Force One starring Harrison Ford, Glenn Close and Gary Oldman

Regarding Henry starring Harrison Ford and Annette Bening

3 Best Movie Presidents featuring Bill Pullman, Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas

Also on Patrick Wilson

The A-Team starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Sharlto Copley & Quinton Rampage Jackson

Watchmen starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Wilson, Matthew Goode

No Strings Attached, The Switch and Morning Glory: 3 Romantic Comedies to Anticipate

 

Also on Jeff Goldblum

The Big Chill starring Kevin Kline, Glen Close, Jeff Goldblum and William Hurt

Top 10 Entertaining Sci-Fi Movie– feat. Independence Day starring Bill Pullman, Will Smith & Jeff Goldblum

Also on Diane Keaton

Something’s Gotta Give starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton & Keanu Reeves

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Aline Brosh McKenna, comedy, Diane Keaton, drama, Harrison Ford, Jeff Goldblum, john pankow, morning glory, morning glory cast, morning glory movie, movies, Patrick Wilson, Rachel McAdams, roger michell, Ty Burrell

No Strings Attached, The Switch and Morning Glory: 3 Romantic Comedies to Anticipate

Posted on November 9, 2010 Written by ripitup

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No Strings Attached starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher

Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached
Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached

The storyline is obviously ordinary and predictable but if you like the actors, this one seems to be having some nice jokes and it is also refreshing that it is the girl who resists mixing romantic feelings with the sexual ones. Here’s the plot:

Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman are longtime friends and at some point they realize that they are the best candidates for each other when it comes to a non-problematic, non-complicated no strings attached sex. But just like many friends with benefits arrangements in real life and fictional world, things will get complicated. We will just have to see if this one will dare to pull a 500 Days of Summer type of ending…

No Strings Attached Trailer:


[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubfcfs98MBw [/pro-player]

Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford & Patrick Wilson

Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton and Patrick Wilson. Also featuring Jeff Goldblum
Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton and Patrick Wilson. Also featuring Jeff Goldblum.

Rachel McAdams plays a young and ambitious news producer who is happy to land a job, despite she is warned by her boss (Jeff Goldblum) that she will be underpaid, overworked and will have a really hard time. She is too over-the-moon to turn this opportunity down. The show is hosted by the eccentric Diane Keaton and Rachel’s job certainly doesn’t get any easier when she decides to hire even the more eccentric, veteran host Harrison Ford, who thinks he is just too good for the position. In addition to her ever-challenging job, her romance with a co-worker (Patrick Wilson) might not make her life any easier either.

A sweet comedy with a touch of romance, true-to-life career ups and downs; including a great friendship story….I love the cast and I so can relate to the plot. I’ll be seeing this movie.

Morning Glory Trailer

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lWUqraDoU [/pro-player]

The Switch starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson, Juliette Lewis & Jeff Goldblum

The Switch Movie starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis
The Switch Movie starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis

Whether I will wait for the DVD or just see it at the theaters is irrelevant. I will watch this film. Yes, all Jennifer Aniston-haters, you’re welcome to look down on me for being enthusiastic about her new romcom. But frankly, even though I agree that Jen needs diversity in her career, romcom is a profitable genre, it has a certain audience and a good one can offer a great escapism and there is no reason you can’t enjoy it if you like the actors. And even if you despise Jennifer Aniston, have you seen the rest of the cast?

And I did have a real laugh (during the trailer) at how Jason Bateman ends up making the switch and then forgets about it. Sure, the fact that he had feelings for his friend for 13 years and is only just realizing it goes against all my experience and beliefs about relationships and love, but hey, we watched Friends. We can handle this storyline.

And yes, I wish I could see more of Patrick Wilson and Jeff Goldblum and have loved Juliette Lewis since What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Cape Fear.

The Switch Trailer

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEYqgyXyk9A [/pro-player]

**

Note: You can watch the trailers on IMDB by clicking on the links below. Just incase youtube videos don’t work for some reason.

IMDB Trailer Links

No Strings Attached

Morning Glory

The Switch

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Ashton Kutcher, comedy, Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford, Jason Bateman, Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Aniston, Juliette Lewis, morning glory, morning glory movie, morning glory trailer, movies, Natalie Portman, no strings attached, no strings attached movie, No Strings Attached Trailer, Rachel McAdams, romance, romantic comedy, the switch, the switch movie, the switch trailer

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