Love Happens
This film worked as a study in grief. The characters were sensitive, tried real hard, and worked through some heavy stuff. The idea of a bestselling author/speaker running seminars on grief when he had a few not-so-hidden bones rattling around in his closet was very intriguing. And I really liked the way it all played out.
What didn't work for me was the Eloise (Aniston)/Burke (Eckhart) romance aspect. I didn't understand why, in the midst of his struggle/depression, he became so passionately fascinated with her. I also didn't understand much of their relationship overall and why there was such interest on both sides. Many of their moments together just felt painful.
There was no sex but there were a few token comments. Overall pretty clean with some moderate language. If you like introspective relationships or exploring the fascinating world of mourning, or Eckhart or Aniston you might like it. I'd suggest a rental first if you are unsure.
Did You Hear About the Morgans.
This
film is a solid three-star, middle-of-the-road film. Adequately entertaining, charming and amusing in some spots and predictable and annoying in others.I viewed it with four twenty-something girls. They all liked it better than I did and thought it was funny and sweet and all thought that the negative reviews were overdone.
The negative reviews I've heard were mostly about the lack of spark between the Morgans, Paul and Meryl. I thought Grant (Paul) and Parker (Meryl) did okay with the subject matter. Not great, but okay. For starters, this isn't a cutesy chick-flick where boy meets girl, they fall in love, one of them does something stupid or misreads the other followed by the sweet scene that pulls them back together when they discover they can't live without each other. This is a film that deals with a very broken marriage with some pretty hefty issues. The lack of spark was understandable the first half or so of the film. The issue for me was the quick resolution and some roller coaster emotional backlash. Didn't quite make sense and the challenges faced by the couple kind of sucked the funny potential out of it.
Beyond the relationship issues is a life and death plot and the secondary characters. Neither made the film a must see either. Again there are moments of attention grabbing or humor, but moments of blah to frustrating, too.
The film was pretty clean, with a few curse words and a bit of sexual conversation. Mild stuff for the most part. If you love one or the other of the actors, you will probably want to see it. I'd recommend a Red Box rental before buying. If you need a fun chick-movie, this one could scratch some itches, but again, you might want to give it a rent before buying.
