Movie Notes: In The Land Of Women

May 11th, 2008

= 2 stars

Starring Adam Brody, Meg Ryan, Kristen Stewart
Directed by Jon Kasdan

Synopsis

Carter (Adam Brody) has been dumped by Elena (Sofia Bunuel) and so retreats to his grandmother’s house in Michigan to work on his screenplay. Across the street lives Sarah Hardwicke (Meg Ryan) and daughter Lucy (Kristen) who take a liking to the pensive, doe eyed young man from Los Angeles.

The Good

• Solid ensemble of actors — Adam Brody should play George Clooney’s son in a much better film. Meg Ryan is brazenly un-cute and un-funny, and even teenaged Lucy (Kristen Stewart) is believably confused.
• The character dialogue is particularly informed and believable.

The Bad

• Unfortunately, the plot is wholly predictable, and goes exactly where you think it will while taking much too long to get there.
• Nothing exciting happens in the least — it’s like Garden State or Elizabeth Town minus all the heart-string-tugging parts. So many possibilities unrealized (hot suburban housewife sex, ex-girlfriend Elena surprises Adam in person, Lucy kidnaps little sister Paige and runs off to Vegas, heck how about a fantasy sequence inspired by the Breakfast Club)? Nothing of the sort, and when the situations created in your mind for the characters is better than what’s transpiring on screen, there’s a problem.

Conclusion

Skip it. Will only be of interest as the flick where Adam Brody got his start, after he becomes a movie star.

IMBD: In The Land Of Women
Wikipedia: In The Land Of Women
Rotten Tomatoes: In The Land Of Women 43%