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Kate & Leopold 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by James Mangold
PG-13, 120 min. (brief strong language) |
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Starring: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne, Bradley Whitford
Producer: Cathy Konrad
Screenplay: James Mangold, Steven Rogers
Cinematography: Stuart Dryburgh
Distributor: Miramax Films
Released: 12.25.01 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Kate & Leopold is now the third film this year to deal with a time traveler to fall in love with someone not from their own time.
The other two, Just Visiting and Happy Accidents (I won't mention the truly awful Black Knight in this discussion),
are effective despite their weaknesses. However, this film's intended love story is overshadowed by the fact that it's so
ridiculously portrayed (meaning poor dialogue, screenplay), you quickly lose interest in the inevitable outcome of a by-the-numbers
film. I must have counted on at least ten different occasions where I asked myself, "Would that character have really done that?" or
"Would they really have that type of reaction?" Obviously, since it is a romantic comedy, I don't expect much more than a
passable script, but this effort is truly lazy, unorganized, and uninspired. It's a disappointment for Meg Ryan fans, although I doubt
their steadfast loyalty will be put to the test here.
Admittedly, this is nothing more than a date movie that will surely satisfy the masses looking for a sweet love story despite
a banal script. For most, it will be just another cute Meg Ryan film, but for those paying attention, it's a mess. Time traveling
aside, the characters are boring, stale, and predictable. Every element for the romantic comedy is in place - the newcomer,
the regular, the sidekick, the comic relief, and the inevitable conclusion. That in itself is not bad, however, this film does such
a poor job of developing these characters that we really don't care what eventually happens to them. Some directors are
frightened of taking too much time from the standard 90-minute running length (this film is two hours long, so this is inexcusable)
in order to cram in all the extraneous material possible, which, in most cases, is completely unnecessary. It's a case where
the actors are willing, but the script is not.
Leopold (Hugh Jackman) is Duke in 1876 who's visit to New York to find a bride is put on hold when he follows a mysterious
man, Stuart (Liev Schreiber), through a "crack in time" to 2001 New York. Stuart decides to hide Leopold in his apartment
until he can return to his own time, however, it's not long before his ex-girlfriend, Kate (Meg Ryan), and her brother,
Charlie (Breckin Meyer), discover the Duke's arrival. After Stuart is injured in a freak elevator accident, Kate and Charlie
begin to look after him. Thinking he is simply in character (as an actor), they learn to appreciate his charm and long-forgotten
customs of politeness, and soon grow close to him. Kate is a driven business woman, and uses him in one of her commercials
despite his pleas of integrity for selling something you dislike. Kate is eventually smitten by him, but once she realizes it,
it might be too late.
I will give the film credit for a clever twist towards the end of the film, but it's not enough to completely salvage a pedestrian
endeavor. There's some science fiction to ponder, even some talk of how pretzels are related to time travel, but it can't
cover up huge holes in the plot. Maybe the film's greatest weakness is its assumption that its audience is not even interested
in realistic reactions from someone who has just traveled over 100 years into the future. I have a feeling that if any of us
traveled that far into our future, we might raise more than just a few eyebrows and smile wryly.
Despite Meg Ryan's universal appeal, her performance is dull and nothing more than a copy of most of her work in the
genre. She's not challenged to do anything more than show up for scenes and take home a nice paycheck. Hugh Jackman
has talent, as evidenced in X-Men, and is easily the film's best character, but he's not given the chance to explore his
role enough to make us truly care for his demise.
Director James Mongold's first attempt at romantic comedy is more or less average, and doesn't come close to his
efforts in either Copland or Heavy. Had he paid as much attention to characterization as he did in those
films, he'd have something here. Kate & Leopold never aspires to be more than it is - a simple romance with a few
quirks for laughs. In the end, that's exactly what the film is - simple.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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