Something Borrowed is a dull movie, senseless and unconvincing, with almost nothing to recommend it. The best thing I can say about it is that it reminded me a little of a feeling I had when I watched The Switch, that this movie was the fraternal twin of a sadder, quieter movie I would have liked more (which is to say, at all). There were moments when I could imagine this was supposed to be a sort of bitter-sweet, sentimental, romantic movie that might have starred Barbra Streisand in the 70s. But then right away it gets back to g-rated wiener jokes and physical comedy.
It is in the first ten minutes of the movie that Rachel, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, has an impulsive, one-night affair with her best friend's fiance. What follows is a series of bad decisions, and there is no possible redemption for the unpleasant people who populate the film. John Krasinksi's Ethan is a fugitive from that better movie I was talking about, in which there are characters with human feelings, like compassion and humor. Apart from him, everyone is secretive and dishonest and heartless. As I watched, I could not envision a happy ending for the movie, but I was comforted to realize that I didn't particularly want a happy ending for any of the characters. I walked away asking a series of questions: Why do the country club parents prefer the party girl over the sensible lawyer? Why doesn't Rachel ever say to Darcy (Kate Hudson), "I was into this guy, and you knew I was into him, and you got engaged to him, and that's a kind of a betrayal."? Why does she like the pretty boy and not the much more interesting, funny, and decent Ethan? Why did the pretty boy get engaged to Darcy in the first place, when they clearly have no chemistry and no affection for each other? When in fact the only thing they really have in common is that they both enjoy betraying and ignoring Rachel? Finally, why, why, why does anyone expect me to believe that Ginnifer Goodwin is so unpretty that strangers would stare in judgment and disbelief at the sight of her with a handsome soap actor?
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| try not to throw up when you look at this hideous monster |
p.s. I just remembered that Something Borrowed is a very famous and popular book I know nothing about. That's something it has in common with The Switch, although I have a feeling that the book Something Borrowed is not as much less cheerful than the movie as Jeffrey Eugenides' story is less cheerful than The Switch. I can't be sure, having not read either of them.
3 comments:
Where else is Ginnifer Goodwin an awkward unattractive girl? That seems totally baffling to me. In Big Love she plays The Hotness, which seems a little bit more up her alley.
she is kind of the frumpy undesirable one in He's Just Not That Into You. Not totally the same character, but close.
Ooooohhh I haven't seen that, but I remember Mogwai's review.
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