Down to You

"Down to You" was slammed by critics when it was released, claiming it to be unoriginal, unfunny and really a waste of time. Pay no attention to them. It is rare for romantic comedies to be entirely original [they are after all dealing with love], but Down to You does have it's moments differing it from most of the recently released teen comedies [to which it has constantly been compared].

Through narration by both protagonists the audience is able to see the development of both characters in the long-term and how they ultimately react to each other. Freddie Prinze Jr and Julia Stiles were perfectly cast and behaved as mature young adults for the majority of the film [sparing the audience from cliched teen talk]. They leave the zaniness to their co-stars, which was a good move. The film is more of a "love story" then most recent teen flicks dealing mainly with "physical attraction" or "opposites attract".

One problem with Down to You however is it's not presented well enough to keep the audience interested. Perhaps in the hands of a more capable director this would be achieved, as I got a bit bored with a few of the scenes and some jokes really fall flat. Because of this, it's not as memorable as other teen flicks such as "10 Things" or "Scream", even.. as it's pacing is quite slow. It's saving grace is the cast. Henry Winkler gives a comic performance as Prinze's celebrity-chef father and Zak Orth plays Prinze's "friend turned porn- star-friend" with gutso. Selma Blair gave a sultry performance but lacked development making her nothing more than "the porn star girl".

Compared to the other three major teen romance flicks of the year (Loser, Whatever it Takes, Boys and Girls) Down to You is indeed one of the finest. It just needed more "oomph" to make it more memorable.

7/10

Al Connelly (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is a college sophomore who meets the girl of his dreams, freshman Imogen (Julia Stiles). His father is famous TV Chef Ray (Henry Winkler) and he would love to be his own master chef.

It's written poorly, and shot awkwardly. This is Kris Isacsson's first big film. The dialog is clunky. It starts right from love at first sight, then meanders with no drama until they break up after a pregnancy scare. There are things that don't make any sense, and things that's just isn't funny. It is being told by both Al and Imogen's point of view. They talk right into the camera at the audience which stops the movie every time and do a lot of narration.

But the future star power of the cast is amazing. They got Selma Blair as a porno star, Ashton Kutcher as a weirdo musician, and Rosario Dawson as her best friend. It's fun to see them when they were lesser known actors.

Now I could win awards for being the world's biggest romcom lover. I mean I'll even watch really really bad ones ('The Wedding Date' anyone?) but this is one of the ones I didn't really like. I mean it's watchable, don't get me wrong, but it's not something I'm likely to rewatch in a hurry. Freddie Prinze Jnr just isn't an engaging person and I just didn't feel the chemistry between him and Julia Stiles and the peripheral characters weren't charming or interesting at all. Having said that there's this amazing scene where Julia Stiles dances in front of a room of people (.... cue 10 Things, The Prince And Me, Save The Last Dance ....) and it's really funny. I'd say that was the thing worth watching this film for.

Down to You: Boy meets girl, they fall in love, relationship cools, couple breaks up and each is tortured by thoughts of "What if…"

I decided to see this movie because I enjoyed Julia Stiles' performance in "10 Things I Hate About You". However, after seeing the marquee poster - a knockoff of "The Very Thought of You" - I scaled down my expectations and braced for a painful two hours. My prediction was partially correct.

Unlike the typical teen oriented romantic comedy there was an attempt to infuse this movie with a bit of reality. Unfortunately, the writers apparently could not decide if they wanted to make a romantic comedy or a serious relationship movie. The result is a confused mess: a ludicrous subplot about a student's burgeoning career as a pornographer gets far more screen time than does the terrified couple trying to come to grips with a potential pregnancy.

The second problem is the chemistry between Stiles and Freddie Prinze Jr - there is none (I blame the casting director for this). Although both actors have screen presence, they don't click as a duo, consequently, their interactions- especially the fight scenes -do not ring true. Their job is made doubly difficult by having to utter stupid lines.

This movie has been targeted to a certain market, and will probably do well.

Too bad.

"Down To You" is yet another formulaic teen romance movie....boy meets girl, boy and girl date, break up and get back together. Very uninteresting,the cast (mostly) is forgettable and frankly, we've seen this movie before......

However, what sets "Down" apart is 3 wonderful performances, and 1 so bad it's gonna get special attention in this review...

We'll start with the good....Julia Stiles is Imogen, a new freshman at an unnamed NYC college. She is a stellar artist, and wishes to persue that in some manner. Ms. Stiles delivers a performance above the drivel she has to work with, making Imogen a teen character with heart and feeling. She once again (as in "10 Things") dances in this one..and I personally think she needs a dance scene in each movie.

Henry Winkler plays Ray Connelly...host of a nationwide cooking show, and father of Al, the lead male in the story. His character is well played and humorous, with grand visions for both himself and his son (he wants to do a cooking show take off of "Cops" with Al). A great performance from Mr. Winkler, and he is quickly putting the ghost of Fonzie behind him.

Now to the bad before I surprise you and give you the last good.....Selma Blair plays Cyrus, a major flirt and porn actress. I hate to have to say this, but after "Cruel Intentions" and now this, I am truly convinced that she is either "someone's" daughter or is involved in a relationship with someone. This woman cannot act. I truly believe with every fiber of my being that she could not play dead convincingly. Hopefully her performance here will kill what little career she has.

Now, for the last good review.......are you ready for this?? Freddie Prinze Jr. is Alfred..the film's lead male character. He spots Imogen across a crowded room and the two instantly hit it off. After forgetable turns in every movie he has done, he shows a never before seen maturity and makes Alfred a character that seems real and true.

"Down To You" is more formulaic drivel aimed at the easily entertained teen audience. While the story is something we've all seen before, the performances of its lead characters make this movie worth a watch, regardless of how bad it really is.

1 out of 5