Nine Months
3/4
Starring: Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams
Rated PG-13 for Language and Sexual Innuendo
Typically in romantic comedies the formula is meet cute, fall in love, complications, then get back together and happy ever after. With "Nine Months," that's not strictly the case. It goes from being in love to complications. And the complications are what typically happens after the final reel (or close to it): pregnancy.
Samuel's (Grant) life is, in his words, "dangerously close to perfection." He's a successful child psychologist (despite everything pointing to the contrary), has been in love with Rebecca (Moore) for the past five years, and has a gorgeous Porsche. But Rebecca is missing something in her life, and it's only after she says the two words no man in the movies ever wants to hear that she knows what it is. Samuel's perfect life is changing, and he's either got to get with the program or lose Rebecca and his baby forever.
Hugh Grant's best asset has been his British charm, and that's on full display in his American film debut. He's handsome and intelligent, but immature and a little gawky. The latter two give him a sense of vulnerability that makes him seem more human rather than a Harlequin romance figure (which are explicitly referenced in the film). Julianne Moore is also in fine form, although this is far from her best performance. It did get her noticed, and considering her later, deeper work, well, I have no complaints. Tom Arnold and Joan Cusack are meant to be comic relief as Samuel and Rebecca's new babymaking friends Marty and Gail, but they're a little stiff and shrill; only about half of their scenes work. Jeff Goldblum gives another fine performance as Samuel's defiantly childless friend Sean. He's a true scene stealer. And of course, Robin Williams turns in a hilarious performance as Dr. Kosevich, the Russian doctor who can barely speak English and is delivering his first baby.
Chris Columbus has always been a solid comic filmmaker. From the "Home Alone" movies (not the third) to "Mrs. Doubtfire" and this, Columbus has always known how to set up scenes that keep the audiences in stitches. There plenty of laughs in this movie, but there are three scenes worth mentioning. One is where Samuel and Marty get into a fist fight with a Barney-clone with a bad attitude and foul mouth. The scene is worth the price of admission in and of itself. Another is when Samuel and Rebecca are racing towards the hospital and having to pick up passengers along the way. Finally, there's the delivery scene itself, which is just a scene of craziness. His skills have never been in character development or acting (the first two "Harry Potter" movies are a case in point).
This isn't exactly a great movie, but if you're looking for a fun 90 minutes with a few hilarious scenes, this is a good pick.
Starring: Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams
Rated PG-13 for Language and Sexual Innuendo
Typically in romantic comedies the formula is meet cute, fall in love, complications, then get back together and happy ever after. With "Nine Months," that's not strictly the case. It goes from being in love to complications. And the complications are what typically happens after the final reel (or close to it): pregnancy.
Samuel's (Grant) life is, in his words, "dangerously close to perfection." He's a successful child psychologist (despite everything pointing to the contrary), has been in love with Rebecca (Moore) for the past five years, and has a gorgeous Porsche. But Rebecca is missing something in her life, and it's only after she says the two words no man in the movies ever wants to hear that she knows what it is. Samuel's perfect life is changing, and he's either got to get with the program or lose Rebecca and his baby forever.
Hugh Grant's best asset has been his British charm, and that's on full display in his American film debut. He's handsome and intelligent, but immature and a little gawky. The latter two give him a sense of vulnerability that makes him seem more human rather than a Harlequin romance figure (which are explicitly referenced in the film). Julianne Moore is also in fine form, although this is far from her best performance. It did get her noticed, and considering her later, deeper work, well, I have no complaints. Tom Arnold and Joan Cusack are meant to be comic relief as Samuel and Rebecca's new babymaking friends Marty and Gail, but they're a little stiff and shrill; only about half of their scenes work. Jeff Goldblum gives another fine performance as Samuel's defiantly childless friend Sean. He's a true scene stealer. And of course, Robin Williams turns in a hilarious performance as Dr. Kosevich, the Russian doctor who can barely speak English and is delivering his first baby.
Chris Columbus has always been a solid comic filmmaker. From the "Home Alone" movies (not the third) to "Mrs. Doubtfire" and this, Columbus has always known how to set up scenes that keep the audiences in stitches. There plenty of laughs in this movie, but there are three scenes worth mentioning. One is where Samuel and Marty get into a fist fight with a Barney-clone with a bad attitude and foul mouth. The scene is worth the price of admission in and of itself. Another is when Samuel and Rebecca are racing towards the hospital and having to pick up passengers along the way. Finally, there's the delivery scene itself, which is just a scene of craziness. His skills have never been in character development or acting (the first two "Harry Potter" movies are a case in point).
This isn't exactly a great movie, but if you're looking for a fun 90 minutes with a few hilarious scenes, this is a good pick.
Comments
Post a Comment