It is a shame that such potentially interesting characterization was wasted on this plot and butchered by some good actors. Hilary Swank's character is awkward and rigid and difficult - as people are in real life, not as they are in the movies. The filmmakers can't decide whether this is a flaw to be overcome or an endearing quirk, and neither can Swank, so it's all very disjointed. The plot is unbelievably contrived, to the point where its only hope is in its characters...who are mostly all either destroyed by their actors (as is the case with Gerard Butler - who I continue to have not much respect for - and Swank), or destroyed by both the actors and the characters themselves (Lisa Kudrow - I haven't seen a character that stilted and irritating in a very long time). Harry Connick Jr's character is the one who stands out, played intelligently and scripted well. I would have liked to see more of him and less of... well, everyone else.
The only really effective scene is the flashback scene to where Swank and Butler first met. In a movie full of false emotions, false dialogue, and false situations, that one somehow rings true. If that were a short by itself, I would watch it. But this movie? Nope. A definite waste of some good talent. 1 star.
(Also, I am shocked that Sherie Rene Scott was in this movie and I didn't recognize her. I'm so sorry, Sherie!)
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