Love and Other Disasters (2006)

Surprisingly Good

It got panned when it first came out, don't listen to those reviews though. THis movie is really good and Brittany Murphy is stunning in it. September 6, 2008

Can't help that love/hate relationship with romantic comedies?

This movie is perfect! Wonderfully witty romantic comedy that constantly picks on the ridiculousness of the romantic comedy. Both a chick flick and a great guy comedy. And not what you'd expect from Brittany Murphy; a very welcome surprise. August 28, 2008

Brunch at Tiffany's

Anyone who's in love with Breakfast at Tiffany's will simply love this movie which is at the same time a tribute and a light parody of the 1961 classic.
The story relates the twists and turns of love lives (absolutely separate!) of a struggling gay writer, a girl who dreams about true love and a group of their usually equally twisted friends. Their attempts at finding the one and only can be quite hilarious (Murphy's character Jacks is blind to the advances of Paolo who she thinks is gay and she goes as far as to get him on a blind date with Rhys' character) but the film manages to present them in a way which is both true and touching. A perfect light entertainment - don't miss it! August 24, 2008

Clever rom-com, but Brittany is misplaced

I like Brittany Murphy a lot but this is not the right vehicle for her. She's not a fashionista and lacks the kind of poise it takes to walk comfortably in high heels. Almost all of the shots of her 'strutting' were cut to less than a step so you can see what she looks like but not how she moves. It was the same with the tango dance scene. Quick edits work as a disguise. I don't think the beehive hairdos work on her but if you like Brittany Murphy you should see this film. It won't make you dislike her and the film is mildly clever.

A handful of male actors performed well and gave the film most of its charm. The two female actors, besides Brittany, were junk. The two women, mother and daughter, trying to act likeably eccentric were annoying, shallow and superfluous to the story. They weren't even acceptable caricatures of likeably eccentric. Chain smoking cigarettes does not eccentric make.

I don't think it really counts as a spoiler to let people know that Gwyneth Paltrow and Orlando Bloom are on the screen for about 20 seconds. That was part of the cleverness of the film. They 'play' the parts of the 'happily-ever-after' couple in the Hollywood version of the movie we're watching as it is written by one of the characters in the movie. August 15, 2008

Definitely more "Love" than "Disaster"...

In a genre littered with hundreds of samey quickly-forgotten offerings of mediocre quality, this one differentiates itself surprisingly well. The story is older than Shakespeare: girl meets boy, boy likes girl, but the inevitable misunderstandings contrive to keep them apart until the end. Nothing new, but what raises "Love" from the crowd is both its shameless tongue-in-cheek manner and its distinctly British sensibility - as present in some scathingly hilarious dialogue. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, certainly, but if you're a fan of British (or just plan snarky) humour, and you enjoy movies that don't take themselves seriously, I can't recommend this one to you enough. July 31, 2008

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