I really like this movie.
It's another that I seem to be able to watch over again and again.
I appoached this carefully, I usually find this kind of movie either boring or just too crude for my liking
(I'm kind of a prude) but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Even though Chris is naked half the time it's not graphic, or overtly sexual
Something that bugs me about some modern movies is they make it a 15 or even 18 certificate purely to allow for excessive, unnecessary sexual senes and profanity. Which rarely serves the narrative, and certainly does little to help me identity with the characters.
This film doesn't make me cringe for the wrong reasons, if that makes sense.
I think if Ally had been played by anyone other than the gorgeously funny Anna Farris it probably would not have worked
(even if it still had our Chris)
Chris and Anna's chemistry, plus witty scripting, is key to its success.
Imagine this with, say, Catherine Hiegl.
She's nice too but the scatty, quirky Ally that Anna gave us makes her extremely likable, even if she's worried about having been with a certain number of people
(I think 10 is high too like the lady on the train, I know, sad right? ^_^)
Anyway Chris' Colin is also likable, you can see why all those ladies go home with him.
I mean, Ally's right, if they can't see him coming, they deserve what they get
When he and Ally first hang out her observations of him crack me up.
"You're a struggling musician"
"What makes you think that"
"Guitar in your apartment, you dress like a horny teenager, I paid for that sandwich. Struggling musician"
She worries so much about her own "number" but is quite quick to point out Colins faults too.
I guess she feels that although her number may be "high" at least she had relationships, she didn't just sleep with a bunch of guys and never call them, like Colin seems to with his many conquests.
There is, however, an immediate kinship between the pair. Even when they disagree about ideal relationships and the "perfect women" they're actually learning from eachother that they may not be wrong about the opposite sex, but not quite right perhaps either.
Well...who is?
I don't know any men that understand me, not many other women do for that matter lol
I do wonder how many women Ally's dream guy Jake Adams had seduced and bedded since they left high school? <_<
His view seems so out of touch and pretty misogynistic. He'll be the only man she'll ever be with, she won't have her own career she'll just stay in thier mansion with a nanny looking after the kids. Or accompany him to events as arm candy...wether that is what she wants or not, it doesn't matter because that's what he wants for her. As his wife.
The fact that Colin saw Ally for who she was, and fell in love, without the need for a fake British accent or puppet show appreciation, makes him her ideal match
He could see that she wasn't happy, always trying to conform to sombody elses ideals and to make everyone happy.
When he set up the lights for her freaky little sculptures my heart just melted.
I can understand why he didn't pass on Jake's number, he , like the rest of us by this point, realised that Colin was the only person who has ever appreciated Ally for being Ally. The perfect imperfect man
Even her mum was constantly disapproving
Overall the movie is well paced, well written and well acted.
The "extended" version makes more sense than the cinematic one though.
Some of the "cut" scenes are, whilst not crucial, certainly helpful with some of the gaps in information.
The puppet show scene isn't in the theatrical cut, but when you see it and the scene immediately thereafter, when she admits that the puppeteer was her first, suddenly that conversation makes more sense.
Also an honorable mention to both Chris Pratt as Disgusting Donald, the Ex she told no one about.
(Anna's real life husband who watched his wife kiss captain america a bunch of times)
and of course the adorable Anthony Mackie as Tom Piper, the guy from college who she didn't realise was actually gay...spoiler alert
Edit:Such a long winded post and I forgot to say how impressed I was with Chris *facepalm*
His portrayal of a guy that he may be a little like in somways, you know, a beer drinking, pizza eating guitarist, is more than just a guy that sleeps around.
He cared once (the girl he saw the photo of as a child, dressed up) and since meeting his neighbour, he cares once more.
Chris manages to convey that sweetness of Colins character. Not just as some womanizing playboy, but a man that has heart and sees the error of his ways but is just trapped by fear of hurting someone or getting hurt himself
His vulnerability comes from being unable to comit, how wierd does that sound? Lol
When he finally lets go, lets himself fall for Ally, is when you really truly see him.
And when Ally is angry at him and they stop talking to eachother that look in Chris' eyes as Colins heart breaks
Followed by the anger, not at Ally but himself for allowing himself to get too involved and dedicating so much to help her out.
...Poor schmuck lol