I bought this DVD as a gift for my mother (at her request). To my horror, I learned I was also expected to WATCH the film.
I admit I don't normally like this type of movie. There are exceptions to my 'no Hollywood-churned romantic comedy' rule, such as "Lost in Translation" and "When Harry Met Sally." "Something's Gotta Give" made me appreciate the exceptions all the more.
"Something's Gotta Give" tells the story of a whiny yet successful 50-something woman (Keaton) who inexplicably falls for her daughter's repulsive yet successful 60-something boyfriend (Nicholson) after he suffers a heart attack. The two adults have a three-day fling, then they go their separate ways. Keaton writes a play about the fling and ends in a committed relationship with a sensitive young doctor (Reeves), only to dump him when her bloated three-day sex toy has a change of heart.
Nicholson is terrible. He's not even trying -- you can tell he's just collecting another paycheck. His charmless character behaves like someone on a morphine drip, not blood pressure medication. He's lifeless throughout, and you need some heavy duty suspension of disbelief to buy that he's such a hit with the ladies.
Without a doubt Keaton carries the movie, but I'm not convinced her shoulders were strong enough to support the weight of such a contrived script.
The only time I laughed during the film was when Reeves first spoke in the ER. I'm sorry, but he just doesn't cut it as a doctor, and his "whoa, dude, you're having a heart attack" delivery is hilarious. Still, Reeves has the honor of playing the only likable character in the movie, and he puts some real effort into the role.
Overall, I found this film to be painfully shallow. If this is the public's concept of romance, then that explains the divorce rate. Perhaps the director simply failed to establish chemistry between her main characters in the script and hoped the actors would compensate. Reeves and Keaton try hard, but Nicholson would clearly rather be somewhere else.
"Something's Gotta Give" is a sterling example of everything that sucks about paint-by-numbers romantic comedies. I will never buy my mother another Nancy Meyers film again, lest I be forced to watch it.
I admit I don't normally like this type of movie. There are exceptions to my 'no Hollywood-churned romantic comedy' rule, such as "Lost in Translation" and "When Harry Met Sally." "Something's Gotta Give" made me appreciate the exceptions all the more.
"Something's Gotta Give" tells the story of a whiny yet successful 50-something woman (Keaton) who inexplicably falls for her daughter's repulsive yet successful 60-something boyfriend (Nicholson) after he suffers a heart attack. The two adults have a three-day fling, then they go their separate ways. Keaton writes a play about the fling and ends in a committed relationship with a sensitive young doctor (Reeves), only to dump him when her bloated three-day sex toy has a change of heart.
Nicholson is terrible. He's not even trying -- you can tell he's just collecting another paycheck. His charmless character behaves like someone on a morphine drip, not blood pressure medication. He's lifeless throughout, and you need some heavy duty suspension of disbelief to buy that he's such a hit with the ladies.
Without a doubt Keaton carries the movie, but I'm not convinced her shoulders were strong enough to support the weight of such a contrived script.
The only time I laughed during the film was when Reeves first spoke in the ER. I'm sorry, but he just doesn't cut it as a doctor, and his "whoa, dude, you're having a heart attack" delivery is hilarious. Still, Reeves has the honor of playing the only likable character in the movie, and he puts some real effort into the role.
Overall, I found this film to be painfully shallow. If this is the public's concept of romance, then that explains the divorce rate. Perhaps the director simply failed to establish chemistry between her main characters in the script and hoped the actors would compensate. Reeves and Keaton try hard, but Nicholson would clearly rather be somewhere else.
"Something's Gotta Give" is a sterling example of everything that sucks about paint-by-numbers romantic comedies. I will never buy my mother another Nancy Meyers film again, lest I be forced to watch it.