For three movies now (Two Weeks Notice, Music and Lyrics, and Did You Hear About the Morgans?), Hugh Grant has been teaming up with writer/director Marc Lawrence to bring the usual Hugh Grant-ness to the big screen (romance and charming Britishness). They team up again for The Rewrite, sharing a lot of its DNA with Music and Lyrics, which sees Grant play a washed up screen writer, still trying to top winning an Academy Award in 1999, forced to take on a job as a screen writing teacher a small New York state university. Initially dismissive of the position, he soon finds himself embracing his new role, and falling for student and single mother Holly (Marishisa Tomei).
With most of his career made up of romantic comedies of this ilk, Grant can do this type of role in his sleep at this stage, but to his credit he keeps the role of Keith Michaels feeling fresh, adding some maturity to his usual schtick. While I would have liked to see him a movie that let him deliver on the promise of his fantastic multiple roles in Cloud Atlas, where he went through different stages of escalating douchebaggery, you can't really fault him here, and he adds a lot of charm to proceedings. He keeps the slightly predictable story ticking over with smart one liners, and watching his sarcasm and thoughtlessness get him into numerous social faux pas' does raise a chuckle or two. The story stumbles when it tries to add more story beats, which just appear out of nowhere and ultimately go nowhere. The romance between Holly and Keith is really sweet and charming, and though Tomei feels underwritten at times, they spark off each other perfectly.
Another saving grace here is an excellent supporting cast, with Alison Janney as the stern, Jane Austen obsessed scholar providing the perfect straight woman for the Michaels' to clash with, and his class is made up of some fun film school stereotypes (the Star Wars obsessive, the goth who doesn't find anything beyond Tarantino and Kurosawa meaningful). Bella Heathcote impresses as Karen, a student who Michaels' begins an ill fated relationship, and it would have been nice to see more of her story, but it is wrapped up far to quickly to make way for the usual romantic shenanigans. But it is J.K. Simmons who threatens to steal every scene he's in as the by the book, former military man reduced to a blubbering mess whenever he mentions his family.
There is nothing new in The Rewrite, but it still works as typical romantic comedy fare, helped immensely by Hugh Grant being his usual charming self.
With most of his career made up of romantic comedies of this ilk, Grant can do this type of role in his sleep at this stage, but to his credit he keeps the role of Keith Michaels feeling fresh, adding some maturity to his usual schtick. While I would have liked to see him a movie that let him deliver on the promise of his fantastic multiple roles in Cloud Atlas, where he went through different stages of escalating douchebaggery, you can't really fault him here, and he adds a lot of charm to proceedings. He keeps the slightly predictable story ticking over with smart one liners, and watching his sarcasm and thoughtlessness get him into numerous social faux pas' does raise a chuckle or two. The story stumbles when it tries to add more story beats, which just appear out of nowhere and ultimately go nowhere. The romance between Holly and Keith is really sweet and charming, and though Tomei feels underwritten at times, they spark off each other perfectly.
Another saving grace here is an excellent supporting cast, with Alison Janney as the stern, Jane Austen obsessed scholar providing the perfect straight woman for the Michaels' to clash with, and his class is made up of some fun film school stereotypes (the Star Wars obsessive, the goth who doesn't find anything beyond Tarantino and Kurosawa meaningful). Bella Heathcote impresses as Karen, a student who Michaels' begins an ill fated relationship, and it would have been nice to see more of her story, but it is wrapped up far to quickly to make way for the usual romantic shenanigans. But it is J.K. Simmons who threatens to steal every scene he's in as the by the book, former military man reduced to a blubbering mess whenever he mentions his family.
There is nothing new in The Rewrite, but it still works as typical romantic comedy fare, helped immensely by Hugh Grant being his usual charming self.
