Movie Review Monday!

Ah, what would romance be without the 19th century, royalty, and... Hugh Jackman. Oh, yes, my darling readers, you can't know me very well if you think I'll let Hugh Jackman fly under my radar! This may not be a very well-known movie of his (or maybe it is, I don't know), but just like Reese Witherspoon, I have to see just about anything with Hugh Jackman in it!

This week's movie review is...

Kate & Leopold

Oh, Hugh Jackman, how I love you! And, oh, the 19th century, how I love you, too! This movie probably could've been perfect if it didn't have Meg Ryan in it. I really don't like her lips and she always looks like she just rolled out of bed, didn't get any sleep, and is so thin I want to throw a sandwich at her and scream "EAT GOD DAMMIT! JUST F&$#ING EAT!" Really, maybe it's her high cheekbones, but this woman looks scary-skinny.

Anyway, this movie is about a woman named Kate (Meg Ryan) who's ex-boyfriend, Stuart (Liev Schreiber) finds a rip in the fabric of time that only activates when he jumps off of the Golden Gate Bridge. He ends up in the 19th century and brings back a Duke named Leopold (Hugh Jackman) with him on accident. Said time-fabric rip won't open for another week. During this week, very bitter and sarcastic Kate meets and falls in love with Leopold. When Leopold has to go back to 1876, Kate has to choose whether she would rather live in the year 2000 or go back with Leopold and follow her heart. Hilarity, obviously, ensues when Leopold learns of television, toasters, getting tickets for dog crap, toilets, and gets maced.

Anyway... On to the review!

Visual:  7 - Not terribly striking, at least set-wise. I mean, you've got some damn good sets for pulling off 19th century, Kate's apartment is very obviously girly, and Stuart's apartment shows his craziness in how cluttered and disorganized he (and his life) really is.
Acting: 10 - Hugh totally steals the show. He is an excellent Broadway actor, so pulling off a 19th century Duke shouldn't be hard for him at all. Meg pulls off a sarcastic, bitter, vengeful ex-girlfriend pretty well. And Schreiber pulls off the crazy man who believes in rips in time pretty well, too. It doesn't seem like any of the lines were forced, and probably because all three main characters are played by seasoned actors. This, of course, is a huge plus. Though, the first half of the movie shouldn't be taken with too much seriousness.
Story/Backstory: 10 - The backstory is informative enough; Leopold is a Duke who invented the elevator and is being forced by his stuffy uncle to marry. Leo gets pulled into the year 2000, falls in love, and has to go back home or elevators cease to exist. That's... Pretty much it for backstory. The actual story is pretty standard fare as far as romantic comedies.
Score/Soundtrack: 6 - Pretty standard fare, if you ask me. Nothing to write home about and nothing that gets the blood boiling or really adds anything to the movie. It's sad that I would give the music for any movie such a terrible score but it really WAS a terrible score. Ha ha! Get it! Ha ha... Heh... Right. Nevermind.
Characters/Character Development:  8 - The characters were pretty good, I guess; very stark contrast to each other. Kate is a bitchy businesswoman, Leopold is a kind, free-thinking Duke from 1876, and Stuart is a completely bonkers inventor. Side characters are alright, like Kate's brother, Charlie, and Kate's assistant Darcy. They play minor, slightly plot-bending roles that help the characters along, but only a little.
Overall: 8.2 - Overall, it's an entertaining movie. Not the best movie of the year (or even OF it's year, 2001), but still pretty good if you like Hugh Jackman or, God forbid, Meg Ryan. It was nice to see Jackman and Schreiber in a movie together where they didn't play brothers out for each others' blood (X-Men). It is funny to watch Jackman cut his tater tots in half with a fork and knife and recite his entire name, Leopold Alexis Elijah Walker Gareth Thomas Mountbatten, Duke of Albany. I'd say that watching this on a chilly, lonely night will give you pleasant dreams of a very dreamy Hugh Jackman dressed like a 19th century Duke. Yum.