Review of The Romantics (2010) by Kimberly B — 10 Aug 2011

I don't know what this movie was trying for, but it generally failed to achieve it. Drama? ok . . . but I would call it more "melodrama." Humor? No. Poignancy? I think it was aiming for this, but it missed. Romance? Uh -- no. I give two stars from some good actors/actresses, some pretty scenery, and the lovely Josh Duhamel, who is worth watching because he is so damn attractive. But speaking of which, who decided that Anna Paquin should play the highly-desirable (allegedly) and generally perfect rival for Katie Holmes? because Ms. Paquin, I am sorry to say, is very fugly, and it requires a great stretch of the imagination to buy her as the beautiful and accomplished Lila.

Generally this is a pretentious and slow-paced movie that wants to be "artistic" (I think) but generally covers some very trite issues but adds nothing new or insightful to its treatment of them. The chemistry among most of the stars is seriously lacking, so it's hard to buy them as romantic figures. Verdict: skip unless you are in the mood for some eye candy, including nice clothes and a pretty house.