Maybe I'm In the Mood for Love

As we all know, I am not a huge fan of the chick flick. There are some I love but mostly I think chick flicks just play to feminine stereotypes. "Oh, woe is me. Why can't I find love? I must find someone to complete me or I will have never lived up to my requirements as a woman." Sheesh. Get a life and learn to be happy with your single-ness! But I digress. This summer I saw three excellent chick flicks. I highly recommend them for a lovely Friday night evening in with some pizza and beer.

Then She Found Me
If you haven't heard of this 2007 film, don't be shocked. It's a little indie directed by Helen Hunt, who also stars in the lead role of April. April was adopted as a baby. Later in life (think late 30s/early 40s) she marries Matthew Broderick. It doesn't work and her biological clock is ticking so loudly it's drowning everything else out. Add to her divorce the fact that her biological mother - a brilliant Bette Midler - has found her and wants to be a part of her life and April is a bit on edge. She meets Colin Firth, the father of one of her preschoolers, and he has his own set of issues. April has to decide what she wants to do with a new mother and that pesky biological clock. One of the problems I have with chick flicks is their predictability, which is why I love this film: it won't end like you think it will. Helen Hunt does a superb job of blending an amazing cast into a film about being a single woman in a time of possibility but a single woman who must also deal with the stereotypes of being an older, single woman.

Last Chance Harvey
Dustin Hoffman (Harvey) and Emma Thompson (Kate) share but a few moments together on screen in Stranger Than Fiction. That few moments is enough to show that there is chemistry there. That chemistry is exactly what makes Last Chance Harvey work. Don't expect this movie to fly by because it won't. Joel Hopkins, who directed just two films prior to Last Chance Harvey, moves these two into position in a long, leisurely fashion, but it's worth it. Harvey is in London for his daughter's wedding. Having been absent her whole life, Harvey is being pushed aside in his "fatherly wedding duties" by his wife's second husband. A chance encounter with Kate turns into an evening to remember. As the title implies, Harvey gets a second chance to make things work. I won't tell you what he chooses, though.

Julie & Julia
I have two words for you: Meryl Streep. There is nothing more to say. Go see this woman now because if she doesn't win an Oscar for her turn as Julia Child, I will be shocked. OMG. Loved, loved, loved her! And Stanley Tucci as Paul Child is brilliant! I cannot speak enough for how much I loved this film. Funny enough, though, it was the Julia and Paul sequences that made me love the film. Amy Adams and her blogging is fine but the love stories of Julia and Paul and Julia and food are so delicious. Just don't go see this film on an empty stomach.