There is something about the bleak Irish countryside that is the epitome of romance. The expansive green rolling fields stretching for miles and miles and wild waves crashing against craggy cliffs may make you want to fall madly in love … not to mention the dark, brooding Irishmen everywhere. Sadly, none of these things can turn a less than average romantic comedy into a great one.
Leap Year (movie) - image courtesy of imdb.com
Leap Year is entirely predictable as romantic comedies go. There’s the perfectly polished Anna Brady (Amy Adams) who runs after her long-term boyfriend to propose on Leap Day – an Irish tradition … and (sigh) he’s luckily just flown to Ireland. And they’re are from Boston, which is Irish America (yay!). Yes, that’s a hint of sarcasm there. One may be able to overlook the cheesiness of this part of the story, if that was the beginning and end of it. But of course, she has several misadventures while travelling to Ireland and meets none other than the dark, brooding Irishman, Declan O’Callaghan (Matthew Goode). He may be the only good thing in the movie too.
As far as predictability goes, just hazard a guess at the ending. You won’t be far wrong. Not all the magnificent cinematography, the remote towns dotted with quaint cottages and the warm Irish sense of humour can detract from the weak storyline. The movie has too many elements, and underdeveloped plot and characters to hook the audience. Again these may be overlooked, but the glaring comparison between the slick city Americans and the yobbo, rural Irish folk are far too annoying, not to mention … predictable. All too often we are reminded of how the Irish countryside can really ruin a polished American girl’s day. These scenes are not only painfully annoying to watch, but left me feeling uncomfortable as a non-American. I felt sorry for beautiful Ireland who looked like it came out second best against USA, despite the (predictable) ending.
A disappointing performance by Amy Adams,who usually brings such comedic substance to a character. This one falls far short of what we have come to expect from her. It may be her cheesy lines, or seeing her totter on extraordinary high heels throughout the movie that makes her character mind-gratingly annoying. Or .. it may be that the character is simply over-acted. Whatever it is, her character leaves much to be desired from a leading damsel-in-distress. Also, the plot is completely lost in all the elements of the story and one may wonder why it is called “Leap Year” by the end of the movie. Or is the unpredictability in the title? Maybe a better title would have been The Proposal In Ireland. Same movie, different setting.
Having said that, this movie may have genuine chick flick appeal. So if you’ve had a hectic week and just want to kick off your shoes and switch off your brain for a couple of hours, you may enjoy it!
