Tentación en Manhattan

The title says it all, as I do not know how Sarah Jessica Parker has this ability to continue in being the marquee of her films, playing roles that may seem a little bit whiny and neurotic, but gaining and establishing an incredible following which has to be attributed to a certain degree to the very successful Sex and the City television series and movies, despite the latest one being not quite hitting the mark. Still, you can't keep a good woman down especially when she has the knack for snagging roles that allows her to play, well, the usual superwoman whose life is in a constant juggle between work and family.

And in many ways this film has characters that makes it easy for any working adult to identify with, whether one has a family of one's own or not. If life means tackling the various friends and fiends that come our way, and dealing with issues, problems and challenges that get thrown in our direction, then this story, adapted off the novel by Allison Pearson, encompasses just about everything in episodes. There's the best friend and confidante, the rival at work just waiting to pounce on mistakes or steal thunder, snarky moms who cannot figure out why someone wants to be a career woman, an attractive boss to report to and work with, an anal retentive assistant, all rolled into the story of the work life balance.

Sarah Jessica Parker's Kate Reddy seemed to have it all figured out, on the outside at least when others look at her, the perfect formula to keep everything together, although folks on the inside, and by that I mean family members with husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) and kids Emily and Ben (Emily Rayne Lyle and Julius and Theodore Goldberg respectively) disappointment and the lack of quantity time become very evident and frequent, and goes to a certain extent of reminding us of the things that actually matter and the importance of that balance and difficulty to achieve so, because it isn't a zero sum game, but definitely something's gotta give, and the crux of this film is how Kate slowly erodes what should be held dear, for career progress and reputation to upkeep.

Which is not a bad thing, but calls for very discerning time management, and knowing when to call it quits. Director Douglas McGrath weaves a very punchy narrative that relies a fair bit of comedy, even employing things like hair lice and other quite unladylike behaviour to send the message across, be it presenting the challenges Kate faced, or to try and present the narrative in a fairly novel manner with the use of talking heads interviews that makes it become like a mockumentary, even having Kate break the fourth wall and communicate directly with the audience more than once. It also offers keen insights into the modern day career woman, and if you remove gender from the equation, the many issues on display can apply to any working adult with similar responsibilities, where life may mean a constant juggle of roles and the apportioning of one's time against activities.

It's a film about contemporary lifestyle and the relationships built at work and at home, with many social tools used today featuring very much in the film, from email to phone to text messages, which creep into and become part and parcel of communications in life. Then there's the subplot about the perils for the working mom in a jetsetting lifestyle with the temptation that comes in the form of her attractive working partner Jack Abelhammer who comes in the form of Pierce James Bond Brosnan, and that of her relationship with assistant Momo (Olivia Munn) who probably exists in the film to provide that tinge of sarcasm, a person who's high on the IQ but needs plenty of work in the EQ department.

Of course you don't watch this film to look out for solutions on offer, but it may provide suggestions that some you may already know of, but fail to practice or have it successfully implemented because a movie can conveniently lump things together and skip the nitty gritty ugly details. But such is life, and what this film can do is probably a temporal pause from our own predicaments, and to remind ourselves that we're not alone in this struggle to maintain an even keel. I may not be the biggest Sarah Jessica Parker fan around, but I cannot argue the case against this film. Recommended.

Let me start by saying I LOVE SJP in SATC. She has flopped in most of her major motion pictures, but this is by far, one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. Thank goodness my friend had free passes for us, because I can not imagine wasting any amount of money on this garbage. The plot, acting, and entire movie was horrible. It was honestly painful to sit through and I would not recommend this movie to anyone. I love watching movies, and I have seen some bad ones in my time, but this one honestly takes the cake! I do not understand why she continues to be casted in anything because she should have ended her career on a high note with SATC because I don't think she will ever redeem herself as a quality actress.

Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a successful business woman living in Boston with her husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) and their two children Emily (Emma Rayne Lyle) and Ben (Julius and Theodore Goldberg). Kate is an expert at juggling her marriage, motherhood and career.

Kate works at the Boston branch of an investment firm based in New York City. She has worked hard and has earned the respect of her co-workers. She submitted a proposal which the company felt had merit and Kate was tasked with working along side of Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan) to refine the proposal for presentation to the CEO of the company. A great opportunity for Kate but added strain to her already stretched thin relationship with Richard. Richard is involved in his own business and has just been offered a great opportunity himself.

The movie is peppered with insights from the various characters which explain the whys and wherefores of Kate's behavior.

Pierce Brosnan does a very good job of portraying the driven businessman who has had a personal tragedy early in life and work has become his obsession. His loneliness shows through his business exterior and even though we know he is falling for Kate, he keeps the relationship purely professional.

The film has not received very favorable reviews - 3.7 out of 10 on IMDb and only a 20% positive rating from Rotten Tomatoes. I disagree with this. I found this film to be entertaining and at times touching - especially for those of us who have ever missed the school play or anything concerning our children because of work related obligations. True - the film is not Oscar worthy and is pretty much a formula movie with the moral of the story being family should come first....but it has many redeeming qualities and that proverbial happy ending.

This movie is worth an afternoon trip to the theater (Matinee Price).

Kate(Sarah Jessica Parker), is happily married to her husband(Greg Kinnear), and has two great kids. And she also has a great job. But then her job increases to more hours, better pay, but less hours at home. How will Kate manage this all in one.

Sarah Jessica Parker is incredibly annoying, she just mugs for the camera,a good part of the film, I'll just say she was more amusing in Sex and the City. Greg Kinnear is so bland in his role, not that he was bad, he was just there. Pierce Brosnan is a scene stealer has Parkers partner in the film, he just is more charismatic than anybody else in the film. And Olivia Munn has Parkers assistant, is way funnier than Parker, cause she doesn't act like she ate a lot of sugar to get into her role, like the way Sarah Jessica Parker does.

Kate Reddy lives a busy life. She is a high-rising finance executive and a mother of two young children. She is often away from home, causing family strains and whatnot. What happens when Kate suddenly gets a big assignment, that requires her to stay away from home for more than two months?

To be honest, I was at a struggle to write a summary for this movie. I couldn't think. Words couldn't come to me. This movie didn't do anything for me. The movie played for 80+ minutes, but there was no real progression in its story line. Nothing happened.. Really. After the movie ended, I wondered what exactly was it that the directors wanted to show to its audience.

I don't recommend watching this movie, unless you're looking for a time waster.. If that's the case, go ahead and rent this movie.

Viewed on: November 29, 2011