First Hit: The film was reasonably entertaining even though the story was telegraphed and there were no surprises.
Amy Adams is a very fine actress. And without her in this film I’m sure I wouldn’t have found it entertaining at all.
She has an ability to express so many feelings and thoughts without dialogue which places her on the top shelf of today's actresses. Unfortunately this film doesn’t allow her to fully practice her craft.
The obvious story line for this film is that she plays a social climber with a long time boyfriend, whom she wants to marry, and accidentally finds someone else she wants to marry when she walks into a small town bar in Ireland.
The rest of the film is about entertaining the audience through pratfalls and trials and tribulations so that we care about the ending we already know is coming. Yes, the film is entertaining enough but something about the minimal amount of chemistry between Anna and Declan (Matthew Goode) kept me wondering why him. Yes, he is a solid sort of guy, is good looking, but I couldn’t really see what the attraction was for either of them.
However, this minimal chemistry was far more than the chemistry between Anna and her long time boyfriend Jeremy (played by Adam Scott). Their relationship felt like a business relationship and totally devoid of any deep romantic love. So, if Anna had to pick between the two men, it had to be Declan.
Adams made this film watchable; I just wish it would have been better written with deeper and more interesting character development. Goode’s performance was a little too distant for me and he didn’t bring much vibrancy to the role. However, I would have to say that much of his performance, or lack thereof, was probably due to the script and the mediocre direction received by Anand Tucker.
Overall: This is a quiet interruptible Sunday evening film or video with your girlfriend, lover or wife.