Rod-54

I am a lover of Capra movies. With those in the background this one is less credible and less to the point. It is painfully long and, unlike in the Capra films where the sentiment seems appropriate, here it just seems to be laid on with a trowel. Moreover, for 2001, the amnesia cliche is tired, especially when it switches on and off without other health complications. And the misidentification of the Carey character, supposedly driven by wishful thinking that extends to social hysteria, is not developed enough at the beginning to help the audience over the hump.

This film has a good cast and a clever premise. It is at its best in the first hour, when some insightful moments appear to be allowed and the situations are truly funny. After that, switch off and watch something else. Committee scripting, at its worst, takes over. It becomes sooo disappointing. In part because the second half is so dull and cliche-ridden the film is way too long. If we must have the romantic resolution, in this film please let us not lay it on with a trowel.

This is a very cleverly written romantic comedy and it is well directed and performed. It is now very old but the ideas, language and style seem to have dated surprisingly little. The only scene that drags for a modern audience is the one in the Montana frame house. The rest is sharp and very entertaining.