Adictos al amor

Sam (Matthew Broderick) is a placid astronomer who travels to NYC to win back the affections of his girlfriend, Linda. She has just left him for another man, throwing him into a chaotic state of mind. Finding her apartment house, Sam camps out at the vacant, tumbledown building across the street. He finds he has an excellent inside view of her apartment, due to a large picture window. Soon after, Maggie (Meg Ryan) joins him in his abode. It seems her ex-fiance Anton is the man living with Linda and Maggie is determined to wreak havoc in his life. After setting up a sound system, the peeping duo can even hear the apartment's conversations! Will Sam succeed in getting his girlfriend back while Maggie is messing up the life of her former love?

This funny premise translates into a humorous, enjoyable film. Anton and Linda are sitting ducks as the jilted pair formulate ways to undermine their happiness as a couple. Broderick and Ryan give lively performances that are amusing and, at times, touching. The ending may be predictable but is nonetheless satfisfying. Fans of romantic comedies will consider this one a fine addition to their list while non fans may relish the dastardly deeds ot Maggie and Sam.

I thought this movie was pretty average as romantic comedies go, and frighteningly similar to Meg Ryan's previous vehicle "French Kiss", which saw Kevin Kline playing a Frenchman she falls for, enroute to getting her cheating fiancé back. "Addicted To Love" could have easily been the sequel! That aside, my one objection is not only the lack of chemistry between the two leads, but also the fact that we are launched into the action far too quickly. One imagines the writer/director desperate to start the story and not being bothered to establish the relationship between Sam and Linda, before BOOM! She leaves him and Sam is in New York, all within a few minutes and seconds. The credits had barely finished!!

I found the character of Maggie difficult to get a grip on. Independent and wilful, one finds it hard to imagine what she sees in the dappy, love-sick puppy, Sam. They are in such completely different leagues. Sam quips that they got together via "Common interests", but this is not enough somehow, since the characters really do not have anything in common, despite trying to separate their ex-lovers.

**SPOILER WARNING**: In another scene, Sam and Maggie sleep together whilst fantasising that she is Linda and he is Anton. Yet Maggie's justification for sleeping with Sam is not made clear - she hates Anton and frequently says so. If she slept with Sam because she was falling for him this should have been made clearer, since he sleeps with her whilst pretending she is Linda whom he still loves. Although good, perhaps this scene could have been cut as it is confusing and largely irrelevant.

The rest of the film was OK, the pranks were cruel but effective. More focus should have been made on the relationship between the two leads.

This is a romantic comedy with a rather hard edge, or, to put it differently, a European-style farce with a too cushy ending.

Apparently, this film was conceived as a Meg Ryan vehicle, i.e. as a product suitable for her established screen persona. This was a mistake. The cast choice (and the marketing) make the outcome of the film blatantly obvious and that takes away too much suspense from the viewing experience. Also, the film makers did not have the courage to bring the misfortunes heaped upon Anton Depeaux (played very well by Tcheky Karyo) to their logical conclusion. It's designed as a chick-flick and thus everyone's gotta be happy at the end. A more emotionally ambiguous ending could have turned this into something special.

Better than average plot but not enough to raise it above B-level.

I think Meg Ryan's star status worked against her because her cute reputation undercut her tough character. However, she proves that she can do something besides "bubbly" and is pretty good in a more edgy role.

Tchéky Karyo was excellent as a semi-likable French guy. One common weakness in romantic comedies is that the viewer can't understand why the "nice girl" would fall in love with the "bad guy." In this movie, we can she why she loves him and, by the end, we even like him a little too. Good writing and acting.

Not Matthew Broaderick's best performance... fairly uneven. He doesn't do "hopelessly in love" very well. Broaderick looked great, even when disheveled. For that matter, all the characters look great.

Kelly Preston is pure cardboard but it sort of works because three developed characters are probably enough in a Romantic Comedy.

The set (the hideout, especially) stole the show. The sound was unusually good for a fluff movie.

When you hear the words `romantic comedy', the first thing that springs to mind is some sugary, smiley, big-haired, feather-light Julia Roberts escapade. `Addicted to Love' presents us with the polar opposite to this, even if the premise is pretty the same as you'd find in the usual rom-com. The result is a deft, reckless, amusing and entertaining heavy-handed movie. There isn't much to bicker about here.

Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick show tremendous colour and prove to be likeable characters as the vengeful stalkers. Tcheky Karyo is funny as the clumsy French fool. Kelly Preston is the least convicted of the four main characters, but is still relatively good.

The film has its own generally funny slapstick moments that compensate for the lack of verbal wit. The narrative that follows is good enough to keep you wanting more, and the jokes are all very well timed. The title Robert Palmer song adds to the reckless, but endearing epitome of the film. The directing styles aren't amazing, but they're hip and stylish for the most part.

Overall, it isn't film of the century and is far from outstanding, but `Addicted to Love' is original, entertaining and very funny for the most part. I give it 6.8 out of 10.