Down to You

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.

Al and Imogen have both finished college and now live separately despite seeing each other throughout their college years. However it is clear that both have some degree of unresolved feelings for each other. In to-camera interviews they discuss their relationship and trace it's path from the first time they met in Imogen's freshman year.

It is a device that I have grown accustom to because I have seen it done well quite often, but the direct-to-camera style is clearly difficult to do. First of all you need strong or likeable characters as the style is basically requiring some degree of interest of empathy from the first second. Without this it is pretty weak. This film stumbles at this point because even halfway through the film, I was still struggling to care less about the characters. Past this problem the plot is not the strongest – it has been done before regardless of superficial changes. It has little genuine humour and mostly is just the cinematic version of puppy love. When the problems come they are so poorly handled by the script that they fail to convince.

Sadly the blame must be shared between script and actors for most of this. The script fails to create characters that convince. The dialogue rarely rings true and sounds like a weak teen drama at worst. However this doesn't totally excuse the actors as they don't bring much to the roles. Prinze Jr is so wishy-washy and lifeless that he is not someone I ever got behind as real. He is too idealistic and, as a result, any scenes where he has to show hurt or anger, are unbelievable. Stiles is OK but suffers from a poor script. The support cast are basically monkeys who are simply comedy characters. I know that sounds cruel but none have any effort put into them – the porn star (no type of porn I've ever seen), the geek etc. Henry Winkler gets the odd smile but is just a famous face to add colour. Selma Blair is the least convincing porn actress I've ever seen but the Biggest waste to me was Rosario Dawson, not only gorgeous but a real talent given the chance, her character was so pointless that I wondered why they even bothered creating it.

It's not an awful film – it is simply mediocre and unremarkable to the point of monotony. Every part of it feels like you've seen it better somewhere else. The script is lazy – things are poorly thought out and the characters are thin and poorly developed. None of the cast really put their heart into it and the end result is a film that doesn't really do anything but still seems to take forever to finish!

Although it will be remembered for things like Trainspotting and My Beautiful Laundrette, FilmFour folded partly because it produced things like this that were without spark, wit or invention.

I only watched this movie to see Rosarion Dawson. It was really a waste of my time, but I just can't pass her up. It's a guy thing.

I haven't seen Freddy prince, Jr since I got bored years ago and watched I know What You Did Last Summer. He hasn't improved at all from what I saw.

I loved Nicky (Julia Stiles) in the Bourne trilogy, but she just didn't show any emotion in this film. Of course, that's the way she acted in the two Bourne movies, also. Her parts didn't call for emotion, but this is supposed to be a romantic movie. Apparently the teens like her, but I am at a loss.

Now, where's Rosario?

"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

What was I thinking? I basically got drawn into seeing this because all my friends wanted to. I figured "why not" and while I was watching the "film" I found myself asking over and over "Why me?" Sure Freddie Prinze Jr. is nice to look at, but worth 7 bucks? I think not.

Now, where have I seen this movie before? Oh yes...every other movie directed towards teens in the recent years. I'm sorry, I might just be a teenager but I know crap when it's crap and I know what I like, and this movie I did not. Where was the plot? Where was one spec of originality? And where were the actors?

Selma Blair was the best of the bunch. I don't care how good looking Freddie is, he needs to take some acting classes, either that strive to make his characters have a little bit more difference then the name change. I like Julia Stiles, but normally when you have to play off a bad actor it reflects badly on you. I didn't see the chemistry this couple was supposed to have.

Yes "Down to You" has it's cute moments, some funny moment, and few sweet moment, but worth 7 bucks? Not a snowball's chance in hell. Save your money and your time. Wait for video, or just don't see it at all.