Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong
Director: Phil Traill (first major feature)
Running Time: 1 hr 39 min
Release Date: Sept. 4, 2009
Budget: N/A
Average Critics’ Score: 13%
“Refreshingly quirky comedy.” Chuck Wilson, LA Weekly
“Unwatchable, unbearably unfunny farce.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Crossword puzzles should be solvable, entertaining and have sparkle, according to word puzzler fanatic Mary (Bullock), but this inferior romantic comedy lacks those last two qualities. Here Bullock once again plays a socially inept, single woman; but, unlike her previous strong and relatable characters, Mary is painfully annoying and appears mentally unstable carrying on conversations with her hamster, Carol. It’s no wonder Steve (Cooper) – the cameraman she’s unexplainably obsessed over – fears her. Steve has a few laughs and Church is better than he needs to be, but the film wraps up too neatly, is poorly written, squanders a talented cast, and foolishly relates life to overhyped crosswords. What’s next: a movie about sudoku?
