Romantica Jeana

Interest in Estella Warren pointed me in this one's direction. Movie has a bit of a silly storyline. In the old days, really not so long ago, you'd definitely have caused trouble for suggesting that an unmarried woman is not a virgin anymore, here strife is caused by an accidental blab about the lead character's virginity. How times have changed.

No sex, no nudity, no foul language, no violence, set in gentle Sacramento, a chick flick in the truest sense. Pretty Estella Warren in the lead, all blonde mane and long, long legs that are quite often shown. Long, bare legs, at that. And lo, what's this? A decent helping of (gasp!) foot fetishism? Once that fountain scene comes up, gratuitous foot-shots totally escalates! There is also the poolside black bikini sequence that I had on slow motion just a while ago. And lots and lots of more leggy scenes, and, yes, the white toe-nail polish in that couch scene really looks scrumptious! Gasp! All these bare flesh in a chick flick! But no foul language. Except derogatory terms for men, awful creatures. Working title was 'Men Are Jerks', remember? No violence either. Unless you count Jeana stabbing director Charlie Matthau's character with a fork! (Albeit off- camera, but with a grisly sound effect!) And there is such a nasty slicing-the-cucumber scene, I wonder what Jeana was thinking of? Oh, so vicious! Hello, American Motion Picture Association, I want to file a complaint... Oh hell, just kidding, Estella's a long way off from raising any eyebrows, although with her long, long legs and soft-soled bare feet she is clearly not just playing to the chick flick regular audience, but raising more than temperatures. Kissing, cuddling, romantically it all gets pretty steamy, but only the far-out nutters will complain about this sexy movie. Then, again, there are a whole lot of far-out nutters out there filled with jealousy and rage at that black bikini scene.

For the most part, though, this movie needs something. Actual drive, actual conflict, actual drama? The storyline isn't worth three consecutive sneezes, and if the reference to midget porn is the funniest line, what does that say for the rest of the movie? The weak game is quickly given away at the very beginning with that poxy little LNELY GRL cartoon that keeps fading out to green (although the song about love making her stupid was great!)

But I do think that with a pretty girl like Estella Warren you could make a much better chick flick if the subject matter just wasn't so trivial. And hate me for saying this, but the virginity of somebody as hot as Estella has but a fleeting hope to last beyond summer. :)

Okay, the feminists are now queuing up to beat me to death. :(

If you could have a girl like Estella/Jeane or anybody like her, her virginal status would hardly matter. The point being that she's such a nice girl. Kidding her about her choice is clearly wrong, making a fuss about it, even more so. She is the wise one, after all, to wait for the right one. But virginity cannot be cherished forever, not when romance comes into the picture. All a girl can do, is hold out for real love and settle for nothing less. As indeed Jeana did.

Most people have covered the great aspects of this film, but I will add my two cents into the mix and say that I picked this film up on a whim from the video store. This funny, sweet film covers a basic idea: be true to yourself, believe in love, and it will come to you.

The actors, especially the highly underrated Christian Kane, really drive this film home. He acts with his eyes, and can convey a host of emotions with a glance, a nod, or a tilt of his head. Michael Weatherly's smarmy character is a fresh change from his usual heroic ones, and wow, a Maxim cover model, Estella Warren, who is more than a pretty face. I love it when I don't expect much and I get pleasantly surprised. It, unfortunately, doesn't happen that often. With this film, and with this cast, I was pleased.

What I also like is that, even though it is a newer film, the director didn't do the jostle the camera, zoom in and out crap that is so popular now. I watched fifteen minutes of "I Am Sam" and was 'car sick' from the multitude of angles, jostling, bouncing and zooming. I never have watched it all.

The Special Features part notes that the film is Independent, and low budget. This is proof positive that spending millions on the special effects and the big name actors doesn't net you a winner. I haven't seen anything in a long time I enjoyed so much.

One more thing: Note the Jeana character's favorite actor is Walter Matthau, the father of this film's director.

Having seen this film last night at the Sacramento Film Festival I have a few comments if you are considering this movie. This movie is billed as a "Romantic Comedy." I didn't think it was romantic and it sure as heck was not a comedy. If you like half baked cakes, Sanka coffee, Nutrasweet or Fat Free food this movie may be for you. If you like napping all day, using duct tape, driving a Jetta or jabbing a stick in your eye this movie may be for you. If you like eating wet cookies, using a push lawn mower or drinking Ensure this movie may be perfect for you. Estella warren tried really hard to be likable but she only shows one emotion and it is humdrum at best. There were several funny bits in the movie from unknown actors who should have had more screen time than the leads. I understand this was an independent movie but the one thing not to skimp on is the script. The first time effort of the Meyers duo was half baked. Don't quit your day job.

In closing don't waste your time. The movies story foundation is weak and does not support the 90 minutes of torture it puts you through.

I saw this movie at its debut at SIFF. I was very interested in seeing this independently produced movie. It was OK. There were some parts that had you laughing out loud. It's the type of movie that you may want to watch on TV for free on a rainy day. The cinematography and production value were good for an independent but the plot was disjointed, the characters a bit 2-dimensional and the story unconvincing. Also there was something about the pace of editing that felt rushed, like scenes slapped together rather than a story being told. I normally don't even notice that type of thing. I understand that a romantic comedy is supposed to be light and take you away, but I believe the best ones make you feel a real connection between yourself and the characters to make it all believable and enjoyable. It wasn't there for me. The acting on the part of the female lead was mediocre and not terribly convincing--does she love either of these men? Is she disappointed or actually hurt by any of the situations which were supposed to be affecting her? For me there were just too many times that the movie lost a personal connection due to acting or pacing and took me out of just enjoying the story. The character acting for Rachel Dratch and Michael Weatherly stole the show. They were both excellent. All in all...just OK. Perhaps not the movie that would appeal largely to the film festival crowd-so perhaps I am not the market for this.

Saw this last night at the premiere in Sacramento, CA. This happens to be where it was filmed and I am thinking the rating for this movie (7 out of 10 as of last look) is from a lot of those people. Unfortunatlely, these people were probably so overjoyed that their city was finally featured in a movie, they thought they were rating the movie experience, and not the movie itself.

About the movie....I can summarize that up quickly... weak script, hot babe who cannot act and has language issues, a few memorable lines of which I have forgotten now, and a descent display of the city. Overall, I would not recommend this unless all your laundry is done, you have dyed your fro, your one friend has canceled your date to the fair, and you must attend a funeral tomorrow. If all these things are true, then by all means, find this movie and go see it.

The script is so weak that I am embarrassed that the two writers came from Sacramento. I'm moving....