Review of Picture Perfect (1997) by Ben L — 21 May 2015

I must admit, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. There's something magical about that fantasy world where man and woman have some kind of meet-cute, and then something tries to pull them apart while we're desperately hoping they will come back together. Picture Perfect is exactly one of those films and I find myself smiling throughout. It is the story of a career-focused young woman played by Jennifer Aniston who can't seem to move ahead because she is too much of a free spirit, and it seems everyone in her life wants her to create some roots. This leads her to invent a fiance based on a picture she had taken with a stranger, played by Jay Mohr. It's a crazy concept but I like how it seems that every person in her life wanted nothing more than for her to be tied down, and once the lie starts everything falls into place for her. However the magic of the story doesn't really get rolling until Jay Mohr enters the film full time. He's not the type of actor I would expect to be cast in this role, because he doesn't get many comedic moments, in fact he's usually the straight man. Despite this casting against type, I find him absolutely delightful. His lovable demeanor is exactly what is needed to break through the wall that Aniston's character is putting up.

Jennifer Aniston is great as the somewhat neurotic star of the film. She certainly seems like the result of someone being over-protected by her mother (played in this film by the wonderful Olympia Dukakis.) You can sense her emotions pouring out despite the efforts of her character to hide them, and that's really the most important thing in a rom-com. Also, while it's not something I would ordinarily notice in a film, I thought the wardrobe department teamed up perfectly with the hair and makeup department to get Aniston's look just right. She starts out the film with a very innocent and even childish look. Then as her character starts to "grow up" her appearance matures with her. I also have to give some credit to the script-writers because I think they did a nice job of putting some realistic dialogue that makes sense in the film despite the over-the-top wackiness of what is happening. It really shines in the dinner scene where Aniston and Mohr are saying one thing to each other, but we can read between the lines and tell exactly what they mean. I'm not sure why Picture Perfect was not that popular when it came out, but I think it has all the elements people look for in a good romantic comedy. Yes, as with all films in the genre, it is very predictable but it has a great deal of charm and gives you a few of those "aaawww" moments that melt your heart.