Amy Adler
As the film opens, Jamie (Marguerite Moreau) is listening, over time, to "dumping" messages left on her answering machine by men. The romances are over, these cads tell her, for a variety of tired and true reasons, everything from returning to former girlfriends/wives to not being ready for seriousness. It is surprising, because Jamie is young, beautiful, intelligent and gifted in the bedroom. Ah, but that's the caveat, it seems, for Jamie is, to ask her sister (Emily Deschanel) or her father (John Rothman) too easy, falling for men on the first date. Jamie finds relief with acupuncture treatments and in her job naming minor products, like new cleaning sprays. She also seeks refuge at her favorite book store, where she often hears the talks of famous authors. At one such event , poet John (Naveen Andrews), an incredibly handsome and smooth-speaking man, accepts Jamie's obvious advances for a date. As he seems to say everything she wants to hear, Jamie finds herself, once again, in bed very quickly. Soon after, John goes hot and cold, giving evidence that he, too, is not ready to be part of a loving couple. In the meantime, Jamie has met a local television celebrity, Mick (Brian F. O'Byrne) at a medical office and the two become fast friends. The TV man is there to comfort her when Jamie gets grief from John. But, could it grow into something else, despite the fact that Jamie finally declares a projected celibacy of six months or more? This is truly and excellent film on the difficult nature of relationships in the modern era. Women, especially, walk a precarious tightrope in the dating game, where men say all the right things, seduce their quarries, and then take off, never to be seen again. Yes, as this fine film shows, females can fall into this trap too easily and must learn to practice more restraint, even if a handsome guy gets away. As the main star, Moreau is utterly fantastic, being both beautiful and touching. Andrews, one of the stars of the English Patient, makes a great cad while O'Byrne's good-guy turn is quite nice. The rest of the cast is likewise fine. The settings, costumes, photography, remarkable script and solid direction complete this film's journey to greatness. Too bad that its really not for the under-18 crowd, for it would be make an excellent springboard for mothers and daughters to discuss the perils of finding Mr. Right. That said, fans of romantic drama will truly welcome this movie as a dynamic, "thinking-woman's" jewel.
edmass
Four Weddings and a Funeral meets the Duex ex machine monster. And wins! The first half of the film moves along nicely with warm characters and fairly hot action - but definitely with good taste. But in spite of a numerous the plot twists that are transparently inserted in the second half of the movie to move the viewers emotions along to a happy ending, the warm and clever performance by the female lead carries the day. Marguerite Moreau as the luckless and sometimes feckless and always sexy Jamie Harris makes it all worthwhile. While things should have been wrapped up a couple of scenes earlier, no real harm was done. Just watch it for the joy of her performance.
Mark Joseph Namit
"Easy" is totally one of the best movies of 2003, if I am not mistaken, was the release date. The depiction of relationships, friendships, and actions of the human heart and condition are realistic, unflinching and uncompromising. Each scene that involves the "Jerk Magnet" Jamie, (Marguerite Moreau) and her two men, (Naveen Andrews, the hot Persian from "Lost" on ABC, and aka "Kip" in "The English Patient", Juliette Binoche's hot Indian stud); and Bryan F.O'Bryne as the lovable talk show host are all equally heartbreaking, warm, and humorous, ultimately human. The love scenes are very realistic, and uncomfortable to watch, truly making the viewer forced into seeing that sex and intimate acts in the bedroom are truly personal and uncompromising, unlike the mundane and choreographed love scenes we see in films like "Basic Instinct", "Color of Night" or "Body Heat". We see sex as it truly is, imperfect, but at the same time an emotional and physical need that everyone craves. Don't miss seeing a comedy-drama that is truly realistic.
