Nonureva Really Surprised!

Sexylocher Masterful Movie

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

secondtake Ira & Abby (2006)What a special sweet film about two people who meet, fall in love (totally and instantly), and make a go of marriage.Ira is played by Chris Messina who is disgruntled and ambitious, and he's really good at playing a mild and likable malcontent. He is going to therapy to find happiness, and getting nowhere.Abby is played by Jennifer Westfeldt and she's a sensation, a total gem on screen, scintillating and in her warm oddball way, utterly lovable. She is the opposite, of course, as movies like this require, which means she has no ambition and is utterly happy all the time. She's so happy she infects Ira with happiness--how simple is that?--and the whole movie, as well. And the audience. It's a kind of wonder how it works on everything. In a bad mood? See this movie.The best parts of the movie really show Abby's effect on Ira, on Ira's family, on strangers, and then, eventually, on herself as she has to face some unhappiness. An example scene will help--the couple are on the subway when a man with a gun sticks everyone up for money, maybe ten people. Abby sweetly (and without cornball excess, that's the wonder of it) asks him how much he needs. She'll give it to him. He's gradually mollified as she goes around collecting money from the other passengers and gets what he needs. He's suddenly willing to take a little less (this is the comedy, of course) and you see how in some bubble reality this kind of kindness might actually work. (She discovers him later with a job, and you sense that she saved him somehow by giving him that bit of sunshine.)Okay, you might wonder how to build a whole movie on this. Well, there are complications with the parents, who have various kinds of relationship problems themselves. No clues here. Eventually it's a comic can of worms and all very fun. Perfect? No, but excellent overall. I could watch it again, which says a lot for this kind of lightweight fare. Westfeldt deserves it.

ottumbo-1 This film is about as contrived and pretentious as a movie can get. If you picked random lines out of a hat and handed them to the actors you would have a better script. Not even a decent cast can help this atrocity. The only good thing I can say is that it is a cure for insomnia. Very few details about this film are authentic. For example, Abby (Westfeldt, who is also the writer and producer, which should give you an idea of how self-indulgent this film is), who is supposed to be a gym instructor, is seen munching on McDonald's french fries, and never even pretends to actually work. Ira, an annoyingly self-pitying specimen (why do so many recent films set in Manhattan include such nonentities?), suddenly says he feels fat and goes to her gym, whereupon Abby instantly asks him to marry him and have sex. If you think this is plausible, then you will probably like this film, and you also believe that George Bush will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This is another of those "independent" films where absolutely none of the characters bears any resemblance to a human being, and where you feel you have wasted 90 minutes of your life. Beware of movies where the writers, actors, and the producers are the same people.

k h I saw this film at the LA film festival, and enjoyed it, even if it left me pretty much right away. The plot is one we've seen before, almost a sitcom plot, outgoing girl meets nebbishy guy. It's kind of a cross between an older Woody Allen film and Darhma and Greg, but what makes it enjoyable is the cast.The two leads are fine, but it's the supporting pros that steal the film with relish whenever they can. Robert Klein, Frances Conroy, Fred Willard all seem to be having a very fun time, and that translates right out into the audience.I think it was shot on digital instead of film, which makes it kind of different to look at, but not unpleasant at all.A fun date movie!

Alarming_Passion Jennifer Westfeldt is just great in her role as Abby. But, her story and screenplay really make this a great film. Chris Messina is absolutely incredible in the lead role, which was certainly no piece of cake for any actor. But he pulls it off like a hot knife through butter. The two of them in this awesome script make for a great film. The supporting cast ain't chopped liver either. Judith Light and Robert Klein were a wonderful delight. This film has it all in terms of a meaningful story about love and romance done with great comedy and charm. It asks all the tough questions about marriage and answers them eloquently. The comedy is wonderfully done. Anyone who's ever had a relationship, or wanted one, or ever thought about marriage or even divorce should see this film. The script moves along at a fast clip with witty dialog at every turn, like I haven't seen since His Girl Friday. The plot keeps twisting with surprises. Every other scene will have you laughing. This film takes a very serious look at the matters of love, marriage, and divorce and examines them deeply, while keeping it all on the lighter side. This is good old fashion romantic family comedy. They don't make them like this very often.