Review of Leap Year (2010) by Grace W — 16 Jul 2011

"Leap Year" is by all means a nice little romantic comedy that tells the story of Anna (Amy Adams), an American woman who flies to Ireland pursuing The Myth/or A Legend that a woman can propose to a man on February 29th..Hence the name "Leap Year." She sets out to surprise her boyfriend (Adam Scott) who is a cardiologist attending a convention in Ireland. Things don't turn out so great and while trying to reach him, a whole bunch of things get in her way and she is forced to pay a guy she doesn't want to be with, the cynical and quite charming in his own way, Declan (Matthew Goode) to drive her to Dublin. A rivalry with some funny situations ensues and that good ol' sense that these two are gonna eventually fall in love with each other before they even know it.

As romantic comedies goes this has alot of the usual hi-jinks seen in other films of the same genre. But the charm and enthusiasm is what separates "Leap Year" as an interestingly funny picture...And "Leap Year" does tell a really good story as well, that you are easily sucked into and you feel like you are right there in the middle of it all. Maybe it is partly because of the great camera work, the amazing views & overall cinematography, plus the lovable characters, who's to say? And the tradition with the proposal on leap year, that was actually quite nice as well.

Now, the typical love/hate romantic comedies are usually always a sure win, and "Leap Year" is no different. The chemistry between Anna Brady (played by Amy Adams) and Declan (played by Matthew Goode) was outstanding, and they were a really good match opposite one another. Anna Brady coming off as the typical American woman used to high end living, while Declan is a down to earth taking life as it comes type of guy. And those two opposites put together worked like a charm.

The cast was quite good in the movie, and although I haven't been to Ireland, I think the movie portrayed the spirit of Ireland fairly well. At least from what I have seen, read and heard about it from various sources. Again, The chemistry of Amy Adams and Matthew Goode is quite charmingly good (Pun intended). Adams is graceful and at the same time very funny. Goode is even funnier being this rough guy who has some sensibility, lots of skills and enlightening presence. His comedic timing is what appealed most, especially the bit calling Anna's "Louis Vuitton" bag by name ("Don't worry, I gotcha Louie")..As for the others, A brief scene with John Lithgow as Anna's dad helped set up the movie but Lithgow's role was too short to rate. Adam Scott playing the Fiancee was nothing groundbreaking but he came off a bit pompous and arrogant, so I have to say he played his role perfectly.

"Leap Year" is actually one of the better romantic comedies that I have been "forced" to watch in a long time. It stands out in the vast number of movies of the same genre. "Leap Year" is definitely a movie that is worth checking out if you like romantic comedies. Of course, you know how this movie will end, right from the very beginning, but that's the standard recipe for all romantic comedies. But nonetheless, it's worth taking a "Leap" For....Wokka Wokka ::Slidewhistle::

Watched on July 9th, 2011.