Vibrant in Technicolor, "Down with Love" is an homage to the old Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies (think "Pillow Talk"). The movie is a dazzling tribute to the squeaky-clean romance films of the 1960s, complete with double entendres, split-screen phone conversations, and constant flamboyant costume changes.
Renee Zellweger stars as Barbara Novak, a small-town girl who hits the Big Apple running. Barbara hopes to make a big splash with her first book, "Down with Love." "Down with Love" is all about giving power to women – power over men, over sex, and most of all, over love. It's about saying yes to having sex without being in a relationship and about being free to pursue – gasp – a career.
With a little help from a well-known actress/singer and a very popular variety show host, "Down with Love" becomes a worldwide bestseller, turning its author into a household name. With women around the globe proclaiming their personal – and sexual – freedom, the battle of the sexes heats up with Barbara Novak smack dab in the eye of the storm. Men hate her; women worship the ground she walks on.
All this attention catches the eye of dashing and debonair ladies' man/man's man/man about town, Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor). Catcher is suave, sophisticated, and totally full of himself. The star reporter for a popular magazine for men, Catcher decides to go undercover to take down this man-hater who is putting a damper on his favorite pastime – having meaningless sex with lots of women (remember, it's the 60's and free love was VERY popular). Disguising himself as a mild-mannered astronaut (thus explaining his lack of familiarity with her book), Catcher weaves his spell on the unsuspecting Barbara with surprising results.
Using Day-Glo colors, 60's-style high-fashion costumes, intentionally fake-looking backgrounds, and music inspired by the 60s, "Down with Love" is an exuberant, imaginative modern representation of those funky Rock Hudson/Doris Day films. The actors, in particular Renee Zellweger and Sarah Paulson, perfectly capture the over-the-top walk and talk of those classic comedies. Zellweger and Paulson enter rooms with a flair that would make the most seasoned runway model turn green with envy. They sashay, they strut, and they pose – camping it up to the hilt.
"Down with Love" Movie Review - Continued ->
