Leap Year - 4th September 2012

Tuesday Night is Film Night returns to what seems to be it's favourite genre, the romantic comedy, as tonight we discover the secrets of;

Leap Year

Right the basic idea of the film is; Anna (Amy Adams), is going out with Cardiologist Jeremy (Adam Scott). Their relationship has been going well for a few years and the question of marriage enters Anna's head. When a proposal doesn't materialise, Anna is quite rightly dejected. However, her father (John Lithgow) reminds her of an Irish (sic) tradition of the woman proposing to the man on the 29th of February, i.e. a leap year. And as Jeremy has flown to Dublin, in Ireland for a conference at the end of February, what better way to seal the marriage, than with a leap year proposal, in Ireland from Anna.

That is until she tries to get to Dublin.

First her plane is diverted to Cardiff. Then no other connecting flights will take her to Dublin. No ferries are sailing and she ends in a fishing boat, that drops her off in a small village, somewhere in Ireland, where she meets Declan (Matthew Goode). She enlists the help of Declan to get her to Dublin, which heralds the arrival of many, many minutes of farcical endeavours to travel to Dublin, by car, train, bus or foot.

So far so good?

As romantic comedies go, Leap Year is OK. However, if you were to write a formula for rom-com's, you can use this film as an excellent example.

The formula goes something like this;

Pretty girl, is in love with bloke who is a bit of a knob!
Pretty girl, through chance, meets handsome chap.
Pretty girl does not like handsome chap, she's in love with her knob, I mean bloke.
Funny things happen.
Pretty girl falls in love with handsome chap.
Handsome chap, cannot love pretty girl, because of bloke (knob).
Pretty girl, realises too late that she now loves handsome chap. Oh woe is her.
Pretty girl tests bloke (knob). Bloke fails test. Pretty girl runs off to find handsome chap again.
Tense moment..........
Happy ending.

Apply this formula, to a beautiful setting such as Ireland and you have a nice film.

Amy Adams is really good as Anna. Matthew Goode should not attempt an Irish accent. It was shocking.

All in all, Leap Year is a pink & fluffy, formulaic rom-com, but the love and laughs are perhaps not as hearty as some films of the same genre.

If it's on the TV, on a wet and windy weekend, give it a go. If not, don't.