Review of Down with Love (2003) by Mikko L — 22 May 2008

Down with Love is a great flick. It is a story of this suffragette who writes a book for women called 'Down with Love'. The world as we know it, is turned upside down by the book which sells more than Harry Potter.

Women get an idea that they are equal to men, and start living accordingly. The author, Zellweger, gets a taste of her own medicine finding herself as an outcast by men, not even able to get a cab. A hot shot journalist and a playboy, 'an international man of mystery?' (McGregor, who does a great performance) decides then to go on a mission on her, lure her act contary to her own mission, end expose herself for what she's really worth to world to get things back to normal.

Right? You'd think so, but nothing is as it seems. The plot actually just starts unravel here and goes on like a tidal wave. Nothing is quite what you first expected. Surprise is followed by yet another surprise.

A masterpiece of a plot. Goes without saying, that I'm not going to reveal it here in case you haven't seen this yet. And if you haven't, I advice that you did. It is not just the original plot which makes this movie worth watching, it's everything about it.

The setting in the 60's, the set, the dialogue, the lingo... There's something petersellerisque about it. Perhaps something austinpowerisque ripped out of the adolescent influences. Cutting of the film, and the effects thus created.

The music. Manciniscue. Matter of factly, I'm not even sure if I could put the plot into words, unless I rewind the movie back every five minutes to the previous state, just waiting it to turn into another one, and only then type down the next twist in the plot.

Does this turn you interested yet? If so, good, because there's something I'm going to have to whine about too. David Hyde Pierce is type-cast. Go figure. You ever so often start to wonder if you sat on a remote and switched the channel which plays a rerun of Frasier.

Seriously. He's got Niles written all over him. But, what the heck - Down with David Hyde Pierce, and up with "Down with Love!".