Wow! I'm surprised to see so many negative and lukewarm opinions on this movie, which I had never heard of (apparently it was not highly promoted by the studio) but which I luckily stumbled upon on an international flight. I so thoroughly enjoyed it that now I'm interested in more by director Peter Chan and screenwriter Maria Maggenti. I did not know there was a book, either, but I've made a note of it for future reading, too.
I admit I feel a bit defensive now, in the face of the other comments here on IMDB. So, what did I like and why did I like it? First of all, unlike some other viewers, I thought the movie WAS very funny. It takes sort of a Steve-Martinesque view of the tender absurdity of humans and their feelings about each other (OK, OK, I just saw a stage production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, and the tone reminded me somewhat of this). Although there is physical humor, too, what I liked most were light touches, like how Ellen DeGeneres' character instantly, wordlessly went back to working for her boss (played by Kate Capshaw) as soon as she got the apology she felt she deserved -- after insisting with great finality that it was all over.
I also felt this film was a celebration of the beautiful but almost lunatic breadth and diversity of the kinds of feelings we group together under the heading of "love": everything from young (and older) wide-eyed lust, to slow steady enduring commitment. As well as friendships, coworker relationships like the one just mentioned, family bonds . . . the list goes on.
Most of all, I guess I appreciated the fond, loving tone of the movie. The artists seem really to like, and love, people. Yes, there ARE quite a few characters, and they're all different ages and different sexes, they're about different trials and tribulations, but they're all treated with light-hearted love and respect, for the sometimes silly but vulnerable beings we all are.
So, if YOU like people, I think you'd like this movie.
