My fiancée and I sat down to watch this, not expecting much more than a cute romantic comedy, and Jennifer Garner playing herself(as seen in the blooper reels and behind the scenes interviews of Alias)... we were both very pleasantly surprised. The movie is genuinely entertaining and charming... Garner is sweet(and seeing her play this role has made us appreciate her performance on Alias all the more), as is the overall tone, and the movie is actually rather engaging. Admittedly, the script is formulaic to a degree, but if you look beyond that, you may very well like what you see. And the movie was effective and surprising to us both. The pacing was spot-on. It never dragged nor went by too fast, and the movie doesn't overstay its welcome. The humor was one of the best things about the movie; it's truly funny, it doesn't try too hard and it comes off as very real. It's reasonably inoffensive(apart from a few sexual innuendos), too. The cinematography and editing are both good, and tight enough, no real complaints there. The dialog is well-written and equally skillfully delivered. The acting is all great. The 80's feel and look were captured perfectly. The music, both selection and use, was also fitting and great. The message was really good, too, and it wasn't preachy, either. All in all, an entertaining and charming romantic comedy which will tug at your heartstrings if you only just let it. This gets a good treatment on DVD, as well... based on the Special Edition release(which I would say is worth owning for any fan of the movie), the menus and design are all good and there are several deleted and extended scenes, two music videos of 80's songs from the film, two games, a still gallery in video form, a blooper reel, two commentary tracks and two well-produced specials, one being a behind the scenes production. I recommend this, to any fan of the genre and/or Jennifer Garner. Oh, and children of the 80's as well. 7/10
