Leap Year (2010) – on rental. The long National Day weekend saw the both of us catching up on a whole ton of films. Five actually, including Salt that I just posted a short review of. We also finished watching two Luc Besson films: District B13: Ultimatum starring Parkour expert David Belle, and From Paris with Love (this action film is anything but a romantic drama), and two bona fide romantic dramas: Remember Me, and Leap Year.
Leap Year is a new romantic comedy starring America’s sweetheart Amy Adams who plays Anna, with Matthew Goode, the lanky British actor who recently played Ozymandias in The Watchmen and plays Declan in this new film.
Anna is in a serious relationship with her well-to-do boyfriend doctor Jeremy (Adam Scott). But when the latter doesn’t propose for her hand in marriage but instead goes on a work trip to Dublin, she takes off after him intending to propose to him instead. How’s that? According to Irish tradition, the man who receives a marriage proposal on a Leap Day must accept it.
Unfortunately, getting to her man to Dublin from Boston is anything but easy: inclement weather puts her on the other side of the Isle, and she has to now somehow find her way across the island to Dublin before Leap Day. So she enlists the help of Declan, the proprietor of a local pub in financial difficulties and who needs the money Anna’s willing to pay.
The film does have a couple of things going for it. Stylistically, it’s filmed in the same way as Made of Honor. You get gorgeous scenery of Ireland, a locale not often seen these days in modern dramas – beautiful enough again for Ling to add to her ‘must see places in my lifetime’. There’s an absolutely stunning view of the steep cliffs along Ireland’s coast line against the setting sun that’s worth the rental or theater admission ticket.
You also get interactions with the Irish locals, one type of which is when they look at Yankee antics, courtesy of Adams this time, with a mix of disdain and bemusement; and the other type of local customs, accents and cultural idiosyncrasies.
There’s also the two likable leads – Goode who’s naturally English and barely manages faking an Irish accent, and Adams – who’s always a joy to watch. Now that’s an actress I find beautiful compared to the likes of Jolie. The two of them are easy on the eyes, and their inevitable romance and feelings for each other are slowly nurtured in a very unrushed manner through the film’s running length.
On the other hand; there are missed opportunities. The film’s title is drawn from the aforementioned Irish tradition, but this cultural practice – if at all true to begin with – has only almost coincidental relation to the story itself. The practice is mentioned throughout the film to create some sense of urgency for Anna in her madcap endeavors to get to Jeremy before Leap Day, but beyond this, you could have easily removed this story element and lose very little in the process.
The second issue lies with the story. There’s little that surprises in this film and who Anna eventually ends up with – Declan or Jeremy – is a foregone conclusion. OK, so romantic dramas of this sort are formulaic, but when you have non-conventional films like 500 Days of Summer, the story outcome in Leap Year feels a little too safe.
And lastly; I like Adams. But man, the things the film makes her do here. You’ll see her vomit, get drenched in stormy weather, and roll in mud. The film isn’t coarse by any measure, but I was wondering if the scenes depicting Anna’s dilemma and of her slightly ditzy personality might had been shown without resorting to this sort of antics.
Mixed bag then. Watch if you’re a fan of either actor, or if you’d like to get a preview for another vacation spot during the long December holidays.:)
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