Last Night (2010, U.S.)

I have to say that I was very disappointed in this movie. The cast was pretty awesome (though I've never cared much for Eva Mendes), but they gave less than stellar performances. Keira Knightley, for example, is one of the most talented actresses working now, in my opinion. Sam Worthington has a great reputation. However, did I believe they were married for a single second? No. They had absolutely no chemistry. Worthington didn't seem to have much chemistry with the woman he had an affair with either, however. Guillaume Canet (who I was thrilled to see in an American movie, incidentally), seemed to have more chemistry with Knightley, plus he was adorable and charming like he always is. Of all the characters I liked him the best, because he was the most true to his idea of love. The others were all too easily tempted into unfaithfulness, and I saw few, if any, redeeming qualities in them.

My dislike for the characters just made it too hard to like the movie, even if it was stylistically and narratively well-done. I think the absolute best part (besides Guillaume Canet) was the score, which was very heavy on piano, interesting and lovely. It's unusual for me to buy a score if I didn't like a movie (and often the score can make the movie), but I would get this score though I would never watch the movie again. This is the second Clint Mansell score I've heard, and the first was just as impressive (Black Swan). I will definitely keep an ear out for him.

Rating: 1.5

Something New (2006, U.S.)

I have to put this one in the romantic comedy genre, even though it was more romance than comedy. Anyway, according to the Shakespearian definition (in which it ends with a wedding), the term "comedy" still applies. (Oops, did I give the ending away? Not like you didn't know how it would end!)

I thought this was a great little movie. I thought it was tastefully done. It definitely made the color-blindness of love an inarguable point, but it wasn't preachy. I can't say what a relief it was to see an interracial relationship that didn't include Eva Mendes. Not only do I not like Eva Mendes, but it seems like interracial relationships (in the movies) are only okay if the characters have more "similar pigmentation" than black/white. As a Hispanic woman, Mendes works with Will Smith or Nicolas Cage. She works with Denzel Washington or Joaquin Phoenix. In this film, we finally have a black/white couple -- and that's the point. But even though the filmmakers were trying to prove that point, it still seemed natural. (Side note: why have all the movies I've seen with black man / white woman relationships involved Julia Stiles?)

I think that the thing I liked most was the way their relationship grew and developed alongside the landscaping in her backyard. As her yard's beauty was revealed, so was the beauty of her true self, which she hadn't taken the time to discover before. It was "hidden in weeds," to continue the metaphor. I don't think everyone watching this movie would necessarily see the purposeful parallels drawn there, but I'm sure they were intentional. In fact, Bloom was a working title for this film.

One last note... I also liked both of the lead actors, and I liked that they weren't big name stars. In fact, the biggest name in the film was Donald Faison, but he just had a small role as the main character's brother. I think it's hard to look at celebrities and see them as "real people" sometimes, even if they are great actors. The lesser-known cast here contributed to the naturalness and the viewer's ability to relate.

Although I've never been known to give a romantic comedy more than a 3.5, this one just had too much substance to overlook as "just another" in the genre.

Rating: 4.0