Catch and Release

Viewer Rating:martin has rated Catch and Release rating: 1 Star

Jennifer Garner stars in this somewhat morbid film from Oscar-winning writier of Erin Brockovich (Susannah Grant) who makes her directing debut in what is a wobbly romantic comedy drama. We first meet the grieving Gray Wheeler (Garner) at her finances funeral as she describes the back story in a mournful monologue under a strumming guitar complete with signposted, white-bread lyrics. Her Mr Perfect has died on the eve of their big day, bereved bride-to-be Gray finds out some shocking secrets from his past - including a massage-therapist mistress (a brassy Juliette Moore), a son that may be his and fortune he never told her about. Obsesseed Dennis (Sam Jaegar) and stoner Sam ( Kevin Smith) are too messed up to help, leaving LA playboy Fritz ( Timothy Olyphant) to be her unlikely knight in shining armour. This semi-skimmed story is the familiar round of learning to cope with loss and smiling through the tears. After an hour of the film it collapses completely into blather and chatter, metaphors and montages, disbelief and dismay. The Colorado landscapes are well used, giving some air to the stuffy, soppy story but in attempting to be many things, the film succeeds in none of them. Although Clearks creator Smith adds much needed humour with his Jack Black impersonation but top film-saving honours go to Lewis for the turn as dizzy Maureen. Rom-comers will love this but I found it overlong and overwrought.

Review published on the 29 March 2007 21:03