Alex & Emma (2003)

*Get the film on Amazon here*

This romantic comedy from the beginning of the millennium's rom-com craze is as cringeworthy as many of its competitors.

Alex (Luke Wilson) is a blocked writer living in Boston. He owes the Cuban Mafia $100,000, and can pay it if he produces a novel in thirty days. He hires Emma (Kate Hudson) as a stenographer, the two get to work, and get closer to one other. We see Alex's story dramatized onscreen, where his main character Adam (Luke Wilson) is living a parallel life to Alex, in pursuit of Polina (Sophie Marceau), with an au pair (Kate Hudson) completing the love triangle. Both uncompelling stories go through their respective stages, offering up no surprises or suspense.

I had a huge problem with the film because it was so unchallenging. Alex is a jerk, and until the climax, doesn't change. Emma is supposed to be mousy, I think, but Hudson is given nothing to do. Their back-and-forth over the book was a bore. The dramatization of Alex's story wasn't any better. Alex says that his book about a man with commitment issues would be funny, and I spent the entire film waiting for the "funny" to happen. The running time was ninety-six minutes, and the film is both rushed and badly edited. Leachman has a single scene, and an unrecognizable Taylor delivers one or two lines. Check out the opening scene, where the Cubans dangle Alex off a building- I could have shot better special effects on my phone in the backyard.

Reiner has made some excellent films in the past, I was a fan of "Misery" and "Stand By Me," but his directorial talent has taken a hit. I'm sorry I had the misfortune of pulling this from a pile of DVDs and watching it.

Stats:
(2003) 96 min. (1/2 *) out of five stars
-Directed by Rob Reiner
-Written by Jeremy Leven
-Cast: Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson, Sophie Marceau, David Paymer, Paul Willson, Rob Reiner, Rip Torn, Cloris Leachman, Derek Barbosa, Lobo Sebastian, Gigi Bermingham, Jordan Lund, Jordi Caballero
(PG-13)