Sunday, February 28, 2016

Single Guy Reviews a Chick Flick: Leap Year

Guest blogger Calvin Chase

Hello, this is Calvin Chase, son of C. J. Chase, bringing you the second installment of my series, “Single Guy Reviews a Chick Flick." The premise of the series is simple: my mom chooses the movie, and I write the review. In the spirit of February 29, the movie under review today is appropriately titled Leap Year. Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive, considering how the last chick flick my mom picked (a drama) turned out, but from the moment the main character appeared on screen, I knew I would like this one.

The main character, Anna (played by one of my favorite actresses, Amy Adams), is a stager—a person who arranges a house to make it look as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Right off the bat, one thing is obvious about this woman: she is a control freak. For her, everything must have a plan, and every plan must go perfectly. Now Anna has heard from her best friend that her business partner/boyfriend is about to propose to her. Considering they’ve been dating for several years, she gets more than a little excited… which it makes it all the more disappointing when he gives her a pair of earrings rather than an engagement ring.

Tired of waiting for a proposal, Anna thinks about a story her father likes to tell. According to him, there is a tradition in Ireland where a woman can propose to a man on February 29. He claims that his Grandma Jane proposed to her boyfriend in such a manner and Dad’s been suggesting, with little subtlety, that Anna should do the same. Up until now, Anna had ignored her father’s urging, but with this latest disappointment fresh in her mind, she decides to do as her father suggests and “pull a Grandma Jane.”

Anna arranges to fly to Dublin, make preparations and meet up with her boyfriend, who’s already there on business. However, a storm diverts her plane to Cardiff (Wales) instead. After much hassling, she secures transport on a leaky tub to Ireland, and ends up in a pub in a backwater town a few hours drive from Dublin. As is the common cliché, the barkeeper, a rugged man named Declan (Matthew Goode), does pretty much everything in the village, including run the inn and drive the “taxi." Anna hires Declan to take her and a suitcase he dubs Louis the rest of the way to Dublin.



Declan and Anna take an immediate disliking to each other (partly because Anna shorted out the town’s electricity when she tried to charge her cell phone), and amidst their constant bickering, their journey hits one snag after another. Several cows, car crashes and bar-fighting thieves later, however, the two start to gain a deeper understanding of each other. I dare not go into more detail than that for fear of spoiling the movie, but simply put, the two of them will fall in love before they reach Dublin—and the waiting boyfriend.




And now, the verdict. This movie is hilarious. There are, in my opinion, few things more amusing than watching a control freak with no control paired up with a cynical macho man. I will say, there were times where I felt that the romance seemed a tad bit forced, but even there, the movie does a pretty good job. This is definitely the kind of chick flick I think most men are likely to enjoy.


3 comments:

  1. Awwww, this sounds cute.

    Thanks for another great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hurrah for another amazing guest post by Single Guy R A C F! I adore this movie. It was my first introduction to Matthew Goode, and being the American I am, I thought he was Irish. I think the movie does has a perfect balance of comedy and romance and is always worth a re-watch.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's adorable. Great review, Single Guy! Thank you for visiting us again.

    ReplyDelete

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