THE REBOUND
Reviewer:Emily Coupland
Rated: 15 (UK)
Release Date: 07/02/11 (UK)
Drector: Bart Freundlich
Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha , Gabrielle Aimée
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When I decide to watch a rom com I find that if I hope to enjoy the film at all, I have to lower my expectations slightly. Then whenever there’s a hint of charm, wit or meaning; with my lowered expectations it takes me by surprise a lot more and I can better appreciate the film. However, sometimes a rom com film can totally fail to surprise or impress despite this (because there’s no charm, wit or meaning). ‘The Rebound’ is one of those films.
Catherine Zeta Jones plays Sandy; a woman who has to go from devoting all of her time to being a mum, to working and dating in the city when she separates from her cheating husband. The ‘romance’ comes from her falling for the young nanny she hires and the ‘comedy’ comes from the several dates she goes on, each one a disaster. But the romance between Sandy and her nanny (Justin Bartha) is completely flat with zero chemistry between the two actors, and the comedy is immature and frankly stupid.
If I was to describe the film in one word I’d chose ‘cringeworthy’. For instance there’s a moment when Sandy’s Chiropractor date leaves her standing alone to very loudly use a portaloo on the sidewalk whilst carrying on the conversation with her. It’s a moment that’s over the top, embarassing to watch, and was made far longer than it needed to be. As I watched it I kind of felt like I was watching a kid’s film. Perhaps writer and director Bart Freundlich could’ve been trying to suggest that the older men that Sandy dates are actually less mature than her young nanny, but I doubt it as at no other point in the film does he attempt to delve into his two dimensional characters. I’d watched the children’s comedy ‘Bedtime Stories’ with my little sister the night before I watched this film and recalled that the comedy in that was probably more mature and intelligent than the comedy in ‘The Rebound’.
Another low point in the film is a long, monotonous montage skipping past several years of the two main characters’s lives. Showing us clip after clip of lives which we couldn’t really care less about as Freundlich and the sloppy acting fails to forge any connection between the characters and the audience.
Movie Rating: 0/5
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Trailer:
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