Movie Review: Leap Year
Good Date Movie - Charming Yet Predictable
A post-holiday, pre-Valentine’s Day release for a romantic comedy can often mean trouble, but Leap Year, directed by Anand Tucker, turned out to be a charming, albeit predictable, tale that starts the year off right.
It’s the story of Anna (Amy Adams), a sweet twenty-something girl who has mapped out her perfect life and the only missing piece to her puzzle is a ring from Jeremy, her handsome, heart-surgeon boyfriend. After being disappointed, yet again, after expecting a proposal, she spontaneously decides to surprise Jeremy at a conference that he is attending in Dublin. Her plan is to take advantage of a local tradition in Ireland which states that a woman can propose to her boyfriend on leap year; but following an emergency landing due to weather turbulence delays, she meets a dashing Innkeeper, Declan (Matthew Goode), who naturally offers her a ride.
Leap Year pretty much utilizes every romantic-comedy cliché, but Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are both so likable and have so much charm that they successfully carry the movie, making them impossible to route against.
One negative, however, was the overuse of pointless comedic gags, which cheapened some of the film’s truly special moments; but overall, the chemistry between Adams and Goode mixed with the breathtaking scenic views of Ireland mesh together nicely to form a delightful date movie that will keep audiences smiling.
Lauren Cohen was born and raised in Miami Beach and graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Motion Pictures. She has been writing about film since 2009, with her movie reviews and features appearing regularly in Examiner.com and Miami Beach News, among others. She’s interviewed some of the most recognizable faces in the film industry, including Daniel Craig, Emma Stone, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Javier Bardem. An avid supporter of the arts, Lauren also works with the Miami Film Festival to promote the best of world cinema to the Miami community.
