When in Rome

This movie was every bit as stupid as I expected it to be, but I will admit I laughed out loud a few times. ("What are you doing in my apartment?" "Blowing your mind!" No? Guess you had to be there.) And I really liked seeing the scenery in Rome again (although it would have been nice to see more than, say, thirty seconds of it). And I enjoyed Pedro's cameo as Juan. But, other than that, yeah--it was just stupid.

I'm not really sure what compelled me to watch this movie (I swear it wasn't Josh Duhamel. Really!) but at least now I've gotten it out of my system.

New in Town

My friend Carole told me this movie was really cute. Now, Carole and I are about as different as tapioca and crème brûlée (no, I won't tell you who is who), so I wasn't really sure whether I believed her or not. But it turns out she was right. This movie was cute! As is Harry Connick, Jr, of course, even though he left his shirt on AND had a fuzzy little beard throughout the entire movie. Total chick flick, to be sure, but it made me smile. I give it two thumbs up, but you probably shouldn't bother trying to get your husband to watch it with you.

Letters to Juliet

This movie was just gag-me sappy. And yet, against my will, I loved it right from the very first song (Colbie Caillat singing "You Got Me," one which I hadn't heard previously, but I was so proud that I recognized Caillat's voice. I had to download it because it's just impossibly happy.) Too bad that was the only good song. Most of the rest of the soundtrack consisted of pop Italian love songs and Disney-fied orchestral pieces, though I think I recognized Caillat in another song or two.

I'm sure my approval of this movie was largely due to its setting in Italy, which is just too perfect, but even for a predictable chick flick I really enjoyed it. The presence of handsome Christopher Egan didn't hurt either.

You Again

Two scoops of crazy and a side order of cuckoo cachoo.

I really didn't care anything about seeing this movie, but I don't pass up a chance at Girls' Night Out, as infrequently as it comes around when you have three kids and work every weekend. Especially when it begins with that margarita I earned and ends with a glass of wine and chocolate cake. Mmmmm. Allow me to reflect on the bliss a moment.

OK, back to the movie. It was actually pretty cute. I'd kind of thought I might end up falling asleep (these things happen when I sit still in the dark), but I managed to stay awake the entire time with no trouble. It made me laugh quite a bit too, but I have a theory about that. Movies are much more funny when you are surrounded by other people who are also laughing. I'm not sure how well it would hold up to my usual late-night movie-watching at home.

I'm not sure this movie is a must-see-in-the-theater movie, but it's worth watching just to see Betty White say, "Don't get up in my grill, sister." Especially if you can manage to get a few of the amenities my GNO experience came with.

Valentine's Day

Do you ever judge a movie by its previews? I don't mean by its own trailers--I mean by those they show at the beginning of the DVD. Let's see. Valentine's Day showed previews for Dr. Zhivago and Gone With the Wind, but I was not fooled into thinking this would be an epic love story. And then . . . a preview for Sex and the City 2. Uh oh. But wait . . . there's more! An advertisement for The Bachelor: The Video Game! It was not looking good. Just who is in this movie's demographic anyway? Besides, um, not me?

Well, fortunately it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting from the previews. It was actually pretty cute. Or at least it wasn't completely stupid. It certainly had its annoyingly inane parts, but happily they were outnumbered by the parts that made me smile. I was actually even surprised by two little parts that I might even dare to call heartwarming. The rest of it was predictable, but sweet. Except for the stupid annoying narrator. Best part: the clips during the end credits.

I can't help but wonder if Patrick Dempsey works juggling into all of his movies. OK, so maybe this was only the second time I've seen him juggling, but it may also be only the second time I've seen Patrick Dempsey in a movie. It wasn't anything as impressive as plates this time, but it was still way more impressive than anything I could have done.