Director Anand Tucker
Released 2010
Plot Anna Brady (Adams), a Boston-based control freak hatches an elaborate scheme to propose to her boyfriend Jeremy (Scott) on Leap Day, an Irish tradition that can only take place on February 29th. En route to Dublin to do so, she faces a series of major setbacks when bad weather threatens to derail her trip and she is forced to travel across Ireland to meet him. With the help of an Irish innkeeper, Declan (Goode) however, she just might still get her wish of getting engaged.
Best on Film Rating ★★★ FIVER
Bless. It's that time of year when a girl looks at her DVD collection and craves something funny, beautiful, touching, romantic, and, dare I say it, something just a little bit pink and fluffy to pop into the old player. In my case, my DVD colllection for once was somewhat lacking, so I rented.
So off we go then: after a read of the promotional blurb on the back of the case I incredulously meet Anna, a woman who "stages" apartments for a living in Boston and likes everything "precise". She is frustrated at the lack of a proposal from her boyfriend of four years, Jeremy, and decides to take matters into her own hands by proposing on leap day. So she's going to travel to Ireland and propose. Alrighty. And, sure enough, as per the blurb, she gets held up and meets an Irish bloke who is forced to help her get to Dublin to do so. Riiiiiight.
Now, I say incredulously, because I was a little worried at this stage: I felt like I had just been handed the script for the entire movie in the first ten minutes, as I'm sure even the most cinematically challenged of audience members could have guessed where this film was going. Predictable is an understatement. For risk of spoilers, however, for the miniscule percentage of the population who can't guess how this film will end, I shan't be the one to tell you. In fact, this film was made for you.
Still, Amy Adams as Anna commits to the role, showing an admirable character arc from strict and serious Bostonian stager to a fun and witty woman quite at ease (eventually) with the frantic spontaneity of Irish culture. I can't really go so far as to say she is a natural comic for films like this, but she puts in the hours, so you can't say fairer than that.
Declan, played by Matthew Goode, perhaps was a bit of an odd choice for his role of her Irish anti-hero: with his unkempt beard and argumentative, pessimistic demeanour, once or twice the character did stray into full-on stereotype. I suppose you ultimately can't go wrong with a chap with a soft Irish accent (it works for me). Still, I must applaud Goode and Adams for their building of sexual tension throughout, which did nothing less than keep the film afloat for a good hour.
Plus, yes, I know I'm not the biggest fan of ye olde generic rom-com, but, by jove, set anything with Irish countryside as the backdrop and I'd say you're onto a winner. So many times watching this film I gasped in admiration for the scenery, often mercilessly ignoring the scene unfolding in the foreground in favour of making a mental note to tour Ireland really, really soon.
Ah, now that's what this film reminded me of - do you know those adverts on TV that hope to boost tourism for a particular country by showing a young couple laughing maniacally whilst driving/skydiving/drinking there? This film is that advert for Ireland. Who cares what the script is, look at that view! B-E-A-utiful.
So, all in all, what can I say? This film will not surprise you, but did you honestly expect it to? It is after all the pink and fluffy film I was craving in the first place, so it certainly delivered in that respect. So I'd say just check it out, buy some ice-cream and swoon over Ireland and the hunks within it, and make a mental note to just let the man propose, girls. We've got childbirth, so it's only fair.
LMB