The plot to this film is very simple. Two people meet... you get the idea.
I'm sorry. This movie was probably be a lot more impressive if we hadn't had over two decades of romantic comedies since its release. By now we have the genre down to an art form. And this subtle, rather quiet piece doesn't stand up to likes of When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill and Runaway Bride. Several reasons why:
For a movie the frequently features trains, everything moves alarmingly slow. Early in the film they run into each other (literally) in a book store and both drop every single bag they're holding. Then they have to pick them up and drop them again, a bag rips. It goes on forever, long past where it might have been funny. And it's so slow. Of course, again, now we're used to movies where they have sex by twenty minutes in. Or, maybe they've already had sex and we're into the post coital issues. In this movie they talk about things instead. And play tic tac toe with a chicken.
No one seems to be able to decide what kind of this movie is. The soundtrack is determined to make into a comedy, blasting us with a score that's so peppy we might die in the opening credits. But the problem is, Meryl and De Niro aren't sure either. I'm not going to blame them, I'm going to blame the script. When it isn't angsty, the two stars are so charming it radiates off the screen and they could probably carry the film on that alone. But the script wants to go off on all these thought provoking, introspective jaunts into angstville. And we sit going "WTF! Is this funny or depressing? There's not enough of either for me to be sure."
There might have been another reason, but I don't remember it. This isn't a bad movie, it just hasn't stood the test of time that well. There needed to be more of the chicken who played tic tac toe, perhaps some witty banter. But it's not bad. Next is Plenty and Out of Africa.
Mostly unrelated side note: Today is Robert De Niro's birthday.
