DVD Review

Alex and Emma

There are two reasons why I could tolerate the new Rob Reiner film, ?Alex and Emma,? a romantic comedy about a novelist and stenographer who fall for one another on the job. The two things that keep this movie alive were Kate Hudson (in the stenographer role) and my own personal passion for writing. Hudson, whom captured me in ?Almost Famous,? seems to have gotten herself stuck in a mediocre role (and film) but she?s still adorable and likeable on screen. I?m a writer myself (as is Luke Wilson, playing the novelist), so the basic premise of the film appeals to me despite its bland delivery.

The way in which these two characters meet is somewhat unusual and could have been played with much better context, and the film suffers from a severe lack of creativity and chemistry. Not only is Wilson sub-par in this film, but there are zero sparks between he and Hudson. What a romantic comedy demands is a believable or at least compatible onscreen couple to cheer for and care about; ?Alex and Emma? is doomed from the instant that the love birds meet in a stiff, poorly-written scene.

Of course, when they meet, they hate each other. (Isn?t that how it has to start?) But then over time, as Emma (Hudson) comes back day after day to help Alex (Wilson) complete his novel, they just get closer and closer. Perhaps the thing I dislike most about this film is that I?ve seen it before, and too many times. To add to the mediocrity is a subplot involving mob thugs; it appears that Alex borrowed cash and owes some big shot an amount of money in a month?s time (hence his completing a novel in thirty days).

Alex goes through the writing process and lightly taps in on the process and psyche, but never quite goes very far. Wilson, a towering dud, tries to make us think he?s knowledgeable of the craft, but the way in which he delivers his lines is heavily contrived; Hudson isn?t particularly bad, but her part isn?t a hard one to play by any means.

When this film was released in theaters, trailers kept repeating how ?Alex and Emma? is from Rob Reiner, the writer and director of the classic romantic comedy, ?When Harry Met Sally.? What some may see as a trick of advertising, I also see as being a hint: Reiner has remade his classic in a sense but without romance, comedy, and chemistry.

Video
The odd thing about the ?Alex and Emma? DVD is that the video quality isn?t that good. There are scenes with a noticeable graininess and others just don?t have much personality or an aesthetic quality. There isn?t a pressuring need for a romantic comedy to look exceptional (beyond the stars, which must be attractive), but it never hurts to at least look good, especially when the film at hand is middle-of-the-road.


Audio
Unfortunately, ?Alex and Emma? contains mostly dialogue the whole way through. If only the writers-that-be could have given us something more enlightening to listen to, we?re instead given center-speaker treatment for the majority of the film. Like ?Gigli,? the film doesn?t necessarily need much audio to be what it?s trying to be, but without effort there is no acceleration.


Extras
Included on the DVD: a commentary track featuring Rob Reiner and Luke Wilson, as well as the film?s theatrical trailer. The latter is common stuff, but commentary is always a wildcard. If the conversation is good, commentary can be a fantastic feature ? if not, it?s a long few hours; ?Alex and Emma? is a long few hours with the commentary. Ten minutes in, as Reiner and Wilson discuss urinals on the set of the movie, you realize that this disc is definitely not worth buying.


Parting Thoughts
I can?t say that ?Alex and Emma? is necessarily a bad movie, as there have been far worse of its kind, but there?s nothing to make me enjoy it all that much. Overall, the DVD is mediocre, both movie and its disc. Rent it if you have a desire to see something romantic and lightweight (if you care to); other than that, check out Reiner?s better, older films.


Video: C+
Audio: C
Extras: C-

Stephen's Grade: C

A	8.7%
B	43.5%
C	47.8%
D	0.0%
F	0.0%