Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews for this movie. It occurred to me that I really had no desire to watch this film beforehand but a week ago, there was nothing to watch and suddenly Win a Date with Tad Hamilton popped up. So I watched it. I thought the movie was decent. Nothing special and very forgettable but it was still alright to me. Topher Grace and Josh Duhamel put up some good performances especially Topher. I thought he played a really good role. There were some funny jokes and a couple laughs like the scene when Topher and Josh are cutting wood and Josh takes off his shirt while Topher does same. I thought that scene was the funniest part of the movie. Overall, nothing really special to this film and very forgettable, but still I thought it was a decent romantic comedy Hedeen's Outlook: 6/10 ** C-

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton (2004)

**** (out of 4)

Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) is your typical girl living in a small town where nothing much really happens. After work she hangs out with her two friends and they usually wind up at the movies watching her favorite actor Tad Hamilton. Pete (Topher Grace) has been her best friend since childhood and even he is embarrassed by the way the girls act towards the silver screen. Rosalee often says she bets Tad is just as caring and romantic in real life as he is on the screen. Pete, being the wise one knows that an actor can sell anything and especially sell romance to a young girl.

Out in Hollywood the media has broken a story about Tad (Josh Duhamel), which could ruin his career. Tad was caught drunk driving with a female fan and this here certainly goes against his romantic image. Fearing some sort of public backlash, Tad's manager (Nathan Lane) decides to hold a contest where one lucky fan could win a date with the handsome actor. As it turns out Rosalee wins the contest and to her shock, the date goes better than expected and soon Tad finds himself in West Virginia trying to take the date to the next level. All of this doesn't sit too well with Pete because he sees Tad as a fraud and he's also keeping the secret that he loves Rosalee.

There's all sorts of things going on in the film but director Robert Luketic is smart enough to know how many times this type of story has been told. Not only in the past ten years but the past hundred years of cinema. The screenplay makes a very wise choice and it appears the writer was sick to death of the current romantic comedy and decided to set the film as if it were being made back in the 1930's. The film plays out more like Bringing Up Baby or Adam's Rib instead of something watered down like How to Deal or even Crossroads for that matter. I doubt this film will become a legendary classic but it's pretty darn close to perfection for what it is.

Another good thing working for the film is that is appears to have been made for adults. Perhaps that's why the film didn't do too well at the box office because the characters involved have experienced life and they know life well. Instead of countless scenes where the viewer is ten times smarter than the character, this film here gives us smart characters who are talking about serious issues and by doing this the film adds some very tender moments that aren't usually seen in a movie like this. The film is smart enough to stay away from any clichés and it's smart enough to treat all the characters with a bit of respect. Even the "rednecks" are never made out to be stereotypes and Hollywood is given a bit of respect as well.

Going into the film we expect to go down the same road and we know how this Cinderella story will turn out. The film goes down that same road but there are many bumps here and there that throws things off course and keeps the drama high because we truly don't know who the young girl will pick. We know there's only two choices but there isn't a clear cut winner and in the end we are rather shocked at how things play out. There are plenty of funny moments here as well and once again the screenplay seems to be sticking its tongue out at us. The biggest spoof is the current romantic comedies in theaters. As we're watching the film we are seeing something we've seen countless times yet the film then sticks its tongue out at us and says we know that's what you're thinking but we're going to give you something else instead. That slyness in the writing is what makes the movie such a charm.

For a great screenplay to work however you need a cast that can bring it to life. Once again, I've been very harsh on today's so-called actors but the performances gathered here is something really refreshing. Kate Bosworth is probably the freshest and most charming actresses to grace a romantic comedy since Meg Ryan way back in When Harry Met Sally. That incredible smile will put a smile on the viewers face just like it does her friends in the movie. Just the way Bosworth's characters jumps off the screen makes it very easy to see why these two men would fall in love with her. In fact, the viewer themselves might find their hearts slipping into the competition. Josh Duhamel does a wonderful job at showing the high class Hollywood hero who tries coming down to Earth. Once again the actor's charm really wins over on the viewer and seeing the two together will remind you of the best date of your life. Then there's Topher Grace who probably has the toughest role to sell yet he pulls it off without any problems. There are many instances where Grace could have gone over the top or his jealousy could have rubbed the viewer the wrong way but the actor manages to show off the good with the bad without it looking forced or faked.

I honestly thought I would like this film. I'm pretty much the target demographic (17 year old girl with a liking for romantic comedies and good looking boys) so I thought this film would be a great way to kill a couple of hours on a boring thursday night.

And to be honest, the plot isn't too bad. It's a predictable love story, but then again predictable love stories are the reason why I fell in love with classics such as Dirty Dancing. This story is sweet and the ending did have me going "awwww...". But let me put it his way: it will only make you "awww" if you are a chick flick fan. If you are not a chick flick fan, you'll probably have had enough sugar by the first forty five minutes. It's definitely what I like to refer to as a "Red Bull". Totally sugary and so perky, at times, it can be disturbing.

However, although I liked the story, I was totally disappointed with the acting. The acting is what shames this movie. Kate Bosworth is terrible. She's the biggest typecast of the wholesome girl next door and her squealing and vacant, wide eyed stares belong on the Bold and the Beautiful. Not on the big screen. And although she tries, Ginnifer Goodwin's character of Cathy is so flat and one dimensional. She should be slutty, but instead of any sort showing of sex appeal (the only character with sex appeal is Angelica the bartender who I truly believe is one of the best actors in the film), Cathy's dialogue is littered with overt, tacky, cringeworthy sexual innuendo. Infact, not even that. It's usually laid out on the table. But instead of laughing, you just feel like slapping her. Such a shame for Goodwin, as I was impressed with her performance in Mona Lisa Smile and this character is well beneath her talent. Josh Duhamel plays the "duh" factor to perfection. His pecs are far more of a star than he is. Enough said.

What really, really surprised me though was that I fell head over heels in love with Topher Grace and his character, Pete. He did a wonderful job conveying his jealous, unrequited love. I truly hope we see more from him, because he was the only actor in this film I didn't feel like slapping. Oh, I liked Angelica too. She was good. And of course, Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes. Always good for a laugh.

I can't really recommend this film for anyone. I think even the tween market will be disappointed with it. Hey, they might enjoy the "awww" factor. Everyone else will just walk out and have forgotten it within 15 minutes.

This movie is definitely a "chick flick." Both male leads are played pretty well. Josh Duhamel portrays the self-absorbed actor well, but has difficulty being believable when he is supposedly being sincere. Of course, maybe that's the point. Topher Grace, on the other hand, is able to portray an emotion in very subtle ways, and is therefore perfect as the inwardly-tortured old friend.

Kate Bosworth's character seems to be quite one-dimensional, and not always consistently. She is overly naive, even for a small town hick. I get the impression that the Hollywood types who wrote her part have never been to a small town, or at least, not since the 50s. There are sweet, wholesome people in this world, but they are more realistic than this girl. It is difficult to ascertain who the protagonist is. Is it Topher or Kate? His character has more depth than hers, but it appears that the story revolves around her.

Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes provide much-needed comedy and interest to the story. I found myself looking forward to their appearances on-screen. Funny moments and a few good performances make it worthwhile, but I definitely believe it will appeal more to us women than the men.

I felt like this movie could have been a lot better if there had been some real chemistry between both Tad (Josh Duhamel) and Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) and Pete (Topher Grace) and Rosalee would have had just a little bit of chemistry. Rosalee was so ditzy and had no personality or substance in the film, although both of the men chasing after her claimed that she did. I didn't root for either couple to stay with her, because I couldn't believe that either character would have been interested in her. Her first scenes when she met Tad were extremely cheesy, and her annoying accent when conversing with Pete was too much to handle. Too bad since Topher Grace is fabulous in any role and the hotness of Josh Duhamel cancels out any flaws in his acting.