The Rebound - Ricomincio dall'amore

I went into the movie with low expectations. Wasn't hard, given it has been slammed by most critics and the pretentious on RottonTomatoes. This was not helped by a rushed, detached start which made me feel doubtful that the movie would pick up from there.

However, The Rebound quickly takes a swift turn for the feel-good drama and I was very impressed as it became not only a light romantic comedy but more a well-thought, rounded character drama with all sorts of little sub-plots, rich character development, great performances, and a genuine likability to every part of the movie. It was just very well done and the rest did not feel rushed at all. If only it had been about 10 minutes longer at the start to get us to really feel that too, instead of brushing aside the seriousness of it as if it were a slapstick laugh-job, it would've scored another star or two.

Definitely go see it if you liked "500 Days Of Summer". And go see "500 Days of Summer" if you haven't already. Are you kidding me?!

Good May December romance movie. There are many funny laugh out loud moments in this movie. The jokes aren't clichéd and the dialog is original and fresh. Wish I could see more of Catherine Zeta Jones in movies these days. She is beautiful especially without too much makeup. Sometimes she looks too sophisticated to be in that situation but she is just a pleasure to watch on screen. It's also nice to see a woman not trying to be rail thin as she enters her forties. Justin Bartha is quite charming in this role. Although he isn't tall he can do romantic roles not just the sidekick stuff. Sometimes the dialog was a bit fast to catch. The story is feel good and not far fetched without being sentimental or predictable.

Suburban mom Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) finds evidence of her husband Frank cheating on her son's birthday party video. She takes her 2 kids to live in the city while she's getting a divorce. She takes a fact checking job on a sport channel. She's compulsively organized and had spent all her spare time compiling sports data. Aram Finklestein (Justin Bartha) is 24 and still recovering from the breakup of his marriage to a French girl who only wanted him for a green card. He's working at a coffee shop but his aimless lifestyle concerns his parents. Sandy moves into the apartment above the coffee shop. He babysits her kids. She starts writing sports stories. He starts working as her nanny. Eventually they date. Only they're both on the rebound or are they?

Both Catherine and Justin are perfectly nice actors portraying perfectly nice characters. There isn't much in terms of hurdles other than their age difference. Catherine is so hot that her age doesn't necessarily matter at least to the audience. Written/directed by Bart Freundlich, the movie shows more competence than anything extraordinary. The romance is as predictable as it gets. The comedy has a couple of charming chuckles. This is a mildly amusing rom-com.

Every movie has its specific set of audience, and this one too has a particular set. It is a sensitive but sexy movie about a woman in her forties and her post-divorce encounters with different feelings like hatred, low self-esteem, domestic problems and her personal life. Amidst all the things going wrong with a woman who is in a situation where she had been cheated by her husband, she finds something which perhaps is the most important thing in this world, "Friendship". Catherine Zeta Jones looks lovely throughout. I literally fell in love with her after watching the movie. Not just because she is beautiful but the emotions portrayed by her are extremely believable and life like. She portrays the role presented to her with perfection and looks plausible as a single mother raising two kids. Moreover, No matter what others say, I feel the chemistry between her and Justin Bartha (The Hangover Groom), if not tremendously magical, was just right for the movie. The movie is never uninteresting and did keep me glued to the screen. It makes you smile in places with some witty and amusing scenes and also imparts some wisdom about life and any relationship. I wouldn't say that it is something worth not missing but if you are a planning on watching it, I guarantee you that your ninety minutes would not be wasted.

Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a very organized, type A mother who adores her two kids. However, she catches her husband in an act of infidelity on a webcam and decides to change her life in a major way. Instead of the suburbs, she moves her family into an apartment above a Manhattan coffee shop & starts a job search. Meanwhile, getting-a-divorce Aram (Justin Bartha) is a barista at the cafe, despite having a college degree, which displeases his extremely pushy parents (Art Garfunkel and Joanna Gleason). On their advice, Aram tries a part time stint at a woman's issues agency, where he has to dress up in a protected suit and let the women vent their angers on him! One of them happens to be our Sandy, naturally. All too soon, these two meet again when she returns to her department. Needing a babysitter one day, she asks Aram to help her out. The two children, a boy and a girl, adore him so before long Aram is installed as the nanny. Also, despite the decade of age difference between S and A, they have eyes for each other. Something may be approaching, in terms of a relationship, but how can it survive when it is more of a "rebound" coupling? This is a nice flick, written and directed by a respected indie filmmaker, Bart Freundlich. He himself is married to Julianna Moore, who is a few years older than her husband. Therefore, he has good insight into a May-September relationship. Zeta-Jones and Bartha, who seem an odd couple at first evaluation, give nice performances as the afflicted twosome while all other cast members do a nice job, too. Sets, costumes, and photography are likewise quite attractive. The resolution is admirable, as it strikes a balance between a ride into the sunset and an unhappy finish. The only minor criticism is that there is some salty dialogue and scenarios that won't please the G-rated crowd, so stay away from it, if this applies to you. That said, most romcom fans will like it just fine.