Starring: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, John Lithgow, Adam Scott
Directed by Anand Tucker
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 97 mins
Genre: Romantic Comedy
3.5 frames out of 5
Anna (Amy Adams) has been with her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) for over 4 years. They live in Boston; they are both respected in their careers – a real estate stager and he a heart surgeon. They live a picturesque life and they are on the verge of getting their dream home. When one of Anna’s friends sees Jeremy coming out of a high end jewelry shop known especially for their engagement rings, she immediately starts practicing her reaction to his marriage proposal. Before she is to meet Jeremy for a special dinner, Anna meets up with her father Jack (John Lithgow) for drinks. Jack is thrilled to learn of his daughters impeding engagement and the recounts the story of how in Ireland, every Leap Year, a woman can ask her fella to marry her if he has been dragging his feet about the relationship. Jack reminds her that is how her grandparents were engaged by the Leap Year tradition. Anna dismisses this and rushes off to meet Jeremy.
At dinner, things are going well and Anna is waiting for Jeremy to make his speech, which he does but does not live up to Anna’s expectations. The jewelry that she receives is a pair of diamond stud earrings. Jeremy is called away from dinner to a surgery and then immediately has to leave for a conference in Dublin. Anna walks away from the dinner deflated but being the anal-retentive person she is, takes the matters into her own hands and plans to ask Jeremy to marry her on Leap Day. Anna takes the next available flight to Dublin, which her luck not being that great, encounters travel mishap after mishap, until she finds her way into a pub looking for someone to drive her into Dublin. Declan (Matthew Goode) owns the pub and shows no mercy towards Anna as she is being her determined self. Declan is in a bit of a financial crunch and after some cajoling, he agrees to take Ana to Dublin for a substantial fee. Needless to say, the half days drive to Dublin goes longer than anticipated and Anna’s eyes are opened to life that she never expected. Will she make it to Dublin in time? Will she discover that her perfect life is something that can’t be planned downed to the last detail?
Judging by the trailer, Leap Year seems like a cheesey, predicable romantic comedy. And it is, until the twist towards the end of the film. Leap Year doesn’t quite fall into the pitfalls that most rom-coms make but is surprisingly charming. Amy Adams does a decent job portraying an uptight business woman desperate to get married. Adams and Goode’s banter back and forth is endearing yet amusing to watch.
Things to watch for: The scenery… so beautiful.
Who should see this movie: Fans of Amy Adams, Fans of Matthew Goode, those that love the rom-coms, teenage girls and Women 25+.
See it in the Theater or Rent it on DVD: This would make a great rainy day flick either in the theater or at home.
