Alex and Emma
Directed by Rob Reiner
Starring Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson and Rip Taylor
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some language.

I like the idea behind this movie. A writer needs to get a novel finished quickly, so he hires a stenographer when his computer is destroyed. Given that the writer is a good looking guy (Luke Wilson, brother of Owen. If you have trouble keeping them straight, Owen has the flat nose, Luke has the flat personality.), the typist of course has to be a good-looking girl (Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie. If you can’t tell them apart rent The Banger Sisters and How to Lose a Guy in 10 days. Kate’s the one you’d still do, you know, if you’re into that kind of thing.). The writer gets to writing and the typer to typing, and as the audience we watch both their story, and the one they’re writing unfold. The stories, of course, begin to mirror one another and, in theory, we see the creative process affecting "real life" and vice versa.

The concept has the odd characteristic of simultaneously feeling both original and derivative. On the one hand I can’t think of a romantic comedy that employs such a structure (not to say it doesn’t exist). On the other hand, this is basically the plot of every episode of the Muppet Babies. Fact and fiction intertwine, complementing and complicating each other in the process. Ok, maybe I’m making the Muppet Babies sound a little more theoretically-based than it actually is, but hopefully you follow. This is a potentially interesting
employment of a fairly time-tested format.

So how’s the execution? Despite the film’s generally dismal critical reputation, I dare say that it’s pretty good. As a romantic comedy it falls decidedly short on the romantic end, but the film crafts a subtle, quirky sense of humor that really does work. This is in large part due to the film’s stars. Wilson and Hudson are cute, quirky actors, but neither have them have ever had much success stirring up the passions of themselves, co-stars or audiences. Wilson tends to act with his eyebrows and Hudson with her cheeks, and that’s exactly what you get here. Their relationship, both in the story that they’re writing and the reality of the film, works for smirks and giggles, but never succeeds at sweeping anything off of its feet. Hudson’s adorable as always, but her character’s psychology is vague, not terribly interesting and at times inexplicably abrasive. You like her, but you don’t fall in love with her. Wilson actually gives one of his better performances, starting to show hints of why he might actually deserve the notoriety he already has.

Stylistically the film marks another more or less mediocre attempt by the slumping Rob Reiner (Princess Bride, Spinal Tap). Essentially he films two plays, one a contemporary piece set in Boston, the other a costume drama set in 1924, and splices them together. The only truly cinematic aspect of film is the way it merges these two very straightforward pieces. Reiner succeeds in making the story work but fails to make it special, choosing to cut between his two fictional worlds at a predictable, uninventive pace. Reiner certainly seems to have lost his edge, but his sense of humor and joy remains, which certainly
counts for something. It doesn’t seem like he really knows what he wants out of this film and it shows.

The story is passable, though it does struggle to fill out its ninety-six minutes. Guys who don’t like movies for girls won’t like it and I certainly could see the Ryan-Hanks crowd faulting the film for its apparent fear of intimacy. I wouldn’t forecast a commercial success. But it’s not a bad movie, and it made me laugh and kept me smiling for a majority of the time it spent with me. And, when it comes down to it, I’m really just a sucker for romantic comedies regardless of quality. No, I’m not gay. And I’m not going to harp on that issue, cause it just makes me look defensive and thereby gayer. Not that I have a problem with homosexuality. Oh God. I’m stopping.

Rating 58%