Falling Up

In New York City, John is getting old but won't admit it, and he is determined to play handball against Paco. But that one last game is too much for him and he falls over dead.

John's family not only has to deal with the loss, but also the realization that his business was in trouble and the family is broke. Everyone will have to take a job to keep the family from losing the house. Son Henry wants to be the breadwinner so his mother Grace will not have to work, but he is in nursing school. Education will have to wait.

Henry's Uncle Colin works as a doorman at 1500 5th Avenue, so he gets Henry a job as a doorman. George, the supervisor, is very demanding and expects Henry to do everything right. This means no relationships with the tenants, but treat them nice. Still, after Henry starts work, Henry and Scarlett notice each other right away.

Henry works alongside Raul, who does as little as he can get away with, and he seems to date a lot of women. Ultimately he shows he cares.

There are a couple of funny scenes involving an unsupervised kid with money and a pair of hookers. Henry should have been more careful.

Henry develops a relationship with Scarlett as he makes deliveries to the penthouse apartment. Even though she has a boyfriend, Buck is a rich drunk. At Scarlett's birthday party, Henry even gets called on to use his nursing skills to save a life. And it's not the only time his nursing skills get used: a gay couple has a dog who gets away from them and almost dies.

When Scarlett's mother finds out about Henry, she is not happy. Her husband Phillip, though, is more accepting.

So will this Romeo and Juliet romance work out?

Sarah Roemer is so pretty and easy to like. She's just perfect for the role of Scarlett. And the character is very patient and accepting of others who are different.

On the other hand, Mimi Rogers does what she does best: a conceited but not necessarily mean rich person who wants only the best for her daughter.

Joseph Cross makes a very good lead. He's easy to like and very determined.

Annette O'Toole does a very good job as Henry's mother. Those who know her as the all-American mother of Clark Kent may not be pleased at what she ends up doing, but she is still very much like what she was on "Smallville". Only with a New Yawk accent.

Rachael Leigh Cook is tough and independent and won't take attitude from anyone. I didn't like her as Henry's sister but she is very good.

Whether you like him or not, Joe Pantoliano does show talent here.

Snoop Dogg is also quite good.

It's a pleasant romantic comedy.

I am a lover of romantic comedies, even goofy ones or lifetime specials many can't bear to watch. I am easily entertained & find myself enjoying many movies in the genre with ratings as low as 4 1/2 to 5 stars. However, even I could not find this movie entertaining! It was appallingly slow & the cast couldn't seem to pull their 'act' together. The jokes fell flat and the couple had NO chemistry. They could have have finished it in 30 minutes & I wish they had. It had the 4 basic scenes, boy meets girl, boy & girl fall for each other, boy loses girl, and a happy ending. Everything in between seemed like several long, dull run on sentences. Don't waste your time. The only thing enjoyable is that it does end.

Whenever I talk to someone about how good writing is crucial, this is a low budget example that I will refer them too. Henry and Scarlet are so charmingly written that it makes the jobs of Joseph Cross and Sarah Roemer easy, and together they are simply adorable. The film does suffer from a distinct "I can see where this is going next" feeling due to its unwillingness to break the classic romantic comedy template. A shame because a brave wander away could have taken it to some better places. But it is an enjoyable ride, even if you know the scenery by heart. With the two lead characters and the people who play them, it has more charm in its short running time than many films of the same genre that run for almost twice the time. Special mention also to Jo Pantoliano as the hotel boss, in a turn that would actually make him a good J.J. Jameson in the next spiderman film. When you see it... you will know. He's pretty remarkable.

This movie is a bit slow, and definitely nothing special. The actors do alright overall, and the main characters are reasonably endearing. I rounded up to a six because the movie was basically a six if you can ignore the terrible distracting noises they consider music.

I do think that if they gave the movie a halfway decent sound track, metered the movies pace better, and gave the characters a little more time to develop; it had the potential for a solid eight. It is a fairly simple and predictable plot, and needed a bit more funny bits to really make it pop. It's a typical mediocre romantic comedy.

Some romantic comedies lean towards romance, others go for the laughs, and some are just nuts and fun. This movie isn't any of those things. The beginning of this film seems like it could be a wacky comedy based on the scenes and script, but the lead male and whoever scored the film thought it was a genuine romance film. The combination made the whole film feel flat.

The romantic pairing was more irritating than charming. I'm not sure if a recast of the leads would fix the movie, there just wasn't enough shown to explain why they would like each other.

The guy's mom was pretty funny though; she should have had more scenes.