Ah, the rom-com. Cheaper to make than the average blockbuster, but done right, often even more profitable and popular. As a result we are inundated with them every year and unfortunately, the quality level isn't always that high. Sure, there are plenty of standout movies that crossover and achieve big success (Nick Hornby is great at this) but a lot of the time, the output is pretty poor and formulaic. But which category does Something Borrowed fall into?Starring rom-com fixture Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love), John Krasinski (The US Office, Away We Go) and Colin Egglesfield (American soap star), Something Borrowed focuses on two best friends, Rachel (Goodwin) and Darcy (Hudson). Both around the thirty mark and living in the stunning, expensive homes we are accustomed to in American rom-coms, the pair are celebrating Rachel's birthday at the beginning of the movie, which also provides and opportunity for Darcy to brag about her upcoming wedding to Dex (Egglesfield). Their personalities are pretty much spelt out early on - Rachel is the smart, studious and quiet law type, whilst Darcy is the fun lookatme blonde. The movie doesn't waste any time in getting to the story though, as we learn that Rachel and Dex have a bit of a past, and of course, romantic calamities ensue.
What follows doesn't feel like a comedy at all - it feels like a soap. Even early on the movie really stood out by having a serious lack of comedy, to the extent that I began to question if it was even meant to be funny. However, any doubts I had about it's intentions were assuaged by Hudson, who plays up a character so obnoxious and ridiculous that there's no way you're meant to take her seriously. And there we have what I found to be the biggest problem with the movie - you don't care about anyone. Unlike the likes of Bridget Jones or It's Complicated, you have little or no empathy with the characters, such is the way they are portrayed. Goodwin is a great actress, naturally funny and sweet but none of that comes across here - she's very much a plain, dour figure for the whole film. Egglesfield, as the supposedly dashing fiance who essentially causes all the problems, is woefully miscast that a washing line could have done a better job. It's left then to Hudson and Krasinski to try carry the movie, and in fairness to her, Goldie Hawn Jr. does her job pretty well. You don't get the sense that it's her fault the material is so weak, and the same goes for Krasisnki, who is completely wasted in an expanded bit part. If the movie had more focus on these two, it would be much more watchable.
One of the predicted draws to Something Borrowed will of course be the source material, a wildly successful book that looks at the morals of love and relationships. Sadly, the movie ignores this part completely, preferring to show how show some rich people sulking. Indeed, by the third act I found Goodwin and Egglesfield's characters to be downright unlikeable, and nothing is done to remedy this (you get the sense that they have to get what they want and that is the sole purpose of the movie).
It sounds like quite a damning response then, overall, but it's not a complete disaster. Like I said Krasinski and Hudson are both good value, and as a glossy, breezy film there are much worse out there - it certainly looks great, with beautiful settings and backdrops to the moaning. It's also pretty light on the rom-com cliches, and didn't end quite as I expected which was a surprise. With that in mind, it's a shame that the characters aren't worth getting invested in. The time will come when Goodwin really shines in a rom-com, but this isn't it. Sadly then, Something Borrowed doesn't bring much to the table, despite the potential to stand out from the crowd.
*It also is the longest Heineken advert I have ever seen. Ridiculous how blatant it is.
