'Leap Year' Movie Review

Let's think positively about this. We've gotten the first disappointing romantic comedy of the year out of the way, and we're only one week into 2010. That's a good thing, right? Because, unfortunately, as charismatic and talented as Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are - and as good as their chemistry is onscreen in Leap Year - the two are unable to breathe much life into this tired story. Leap Year doesn't last for 366 days, but it sure feels longer than its 101 minute running time.

As cute as the trailers are, and as much as we were hoping for a great funny movie to launch the year with, Leap Year starts off 2010 with a whimper rather than a bang. There's definitely nothing about this formulaic film that makes you leap for joy, unless you skip out after the first half hour or so. The beginning of Leap Year's just fine; it's when our two you-just-know-they're-going-to-be-lovebirds are knee-deep in mud climbing a hill (for no good reason) that Leap Year leaps into the realm of pure silliness from which it never returns.

The Story

Amy Adams stars as Anna, a no-nonsense, intelligent young woman who's been dating her boyfriend, Jeremy (Adam Scott), for four years and is ready to take their relationship to the next level. And, she believes Jeremy is ready to ask her to marry him. Anna will definitely be answering in the affirmative when Jeremy asks for her hand, and she's primed and ready for the big event to happen when he arranges for a date at an expensive and romantic restaurant. But her hopes are dashed when Jeremy pops out with a pair of diamond earrings instead of popping the question.

Immediately following the dinner, Jeremy's off to Dublin for a cardiologist conference. As fortune would have it, there happens to be an Irish tradition that says it's perfectly allowable for a woman to propose to a man on leap day, and that's exactly when Jeremy will be there. Wow, is that great, coincidental timing or what?

So that set-up allows our heroine Anna to take off for Dublin, fully prepared to take matters into her own hands. But, she never makes it to Dublin. A series of mishaps later and she's at a pub/hotel in the middle of nowhere, lost, alone, with just her designer luggage and a pair of ridiculous high heels she never takes off. The pub owner, Declan (Matthew Goode), happens to be a cab driver in his spare time, and because he's hard up for cash and on the verge of losing part of his kitchen to creditors, he agrees to take Anna all the way to Dublin.

Not being familiar with Ireland, I'm just guessing this trip should take them a day at the most. I think in the film their trip lasts a good three weeks...or at least it seems that way. Their journey across Ireland is excruciatingly long, putting the pair - and the audience - through pure hell on the way to tying up the story exactly how you'd expect it to be tied up.

The Cast

Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are both better than this. Leap Year's a minor speed bump in their careers, a misstep we'll forget about as soon as their next projects open in theaters. If there's a reason to see Leap Year, and I'm not saying there is one (maybe on DVD, but not in theaters), it's strictly to see Adams and Goode doing their best to wring some laughter out of this stale material.

The Bottom Line

So, this is a movie obviously meant for women. Label it a chick flick or whatever you'd like, I don't care and I don't find 'chick flick' to be a degrading term. The key demographic for this film is females in their 20s and on up. And no woman in her right mind is going to go climbing up a hill, in the rain, when she's supposed to be waiting for a train - or bus or whatever other means of transportation is around - to take her to the man she loves so that she can propose. Not with designer three inch heels on, not when she knows the trip will take at least an hour, not when she's on such a tight schedule and has a deadline she can not miss. It's just not going to happen. Not ever.

That's just one example of what poor Amy Adams has to go through in this movie, and it shows how far off base the writers are on what women want to see in a romantic comedy. Another example is Adams taking a shower while dancing behind a see-through curtain in a bathroom without the door closed while the strange man who's giving her a ride is lying on top of a bed a few feet away enjoying the view. I don't like romantic comedies that don't treat the audience with intelligence, and Leap Year assumes we all check our brains at the door when we sit down to watch rom coms.

When we met Anna, she's a together, although a little too tightly wound, Type-A personality. As soon as she gets to Ireland, she begins losing IQ points at a rapid pace. As the writers try to get laughs at Anna's expense, they dumb down her character. It's just sloppy storytelling, and not even Adams and Goode can overcome Leap Year's many faults.

GRADE: C-

Leap Year was directed by Anand Tucker and is rated PG for sensuality and language.

Theatrical Release Date: January 8, 2010

_{Disclosure: This review is based on a screening provided by the studio. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.}