This movie is barely watchable. I had the displeasure of seeing "Just My Luck" the day before I saw "Dedication", and I am saddened to say the former was more entertaining. I had the misfortune of attending the New York Premiere of this train wreck. I wrote a scathing blog about the experience on myspace. Here is a fun excerpt:
The line wasn't all that bad and we passed by Ms. Moore herself on the red carpet. Having lived in New York and seen my fair share of celebrities I was less than star struck. Still, this had to be better than getting a root canal. Right? Wrong. At one point during this train wreck of a movie I actually longed for the sterile walls of the waiting room and the GQ magazine with Matt Damon on the cover. Sitting through a movie hasn't been this downright painful since, well, "Saved."
So we walk past the red carpet and into the lobby and the whole affair seems to be built upon understatement. It was like being caught in an excitement vacuum. I was actually setting the bar, and that was only after I realized the popcorn and soda were free. Our seats were great too; Mandy Moore and the rest of the cast were just a few rows back. Earlier on I mentioned I was "forced" to sit through this flick. Well my little buddy Jesse, imagine a young Woody Allen, and I had the idea to walk out about half way through. Unfortunately that would have meant walking past the entire cast. I think Jesse wanted to make a statement, but I just didn't have the heart. My reasons for wanting to bail were based on relief of painful boredom, not malice and haughtiness. Instead I went for an extended bathroom break. Mandy didn't even notice. I think she was too busy dying inside. Honestly, the look on her face was a mixture of embarrassment and dread. The irony is Mandy Moore did a pretty good job. Her acting really wasn't bad.
No, the acting was the lesser of the evils. This thing was doomed the day writer David Bromberg sat down at his keyboard and decided he had a good idea for a screenplay. The idea being that some old man, Rudy, and a thirty something, Henry, are trying to write a children's book. They come up with a character named Marty the Beaver, who is in fact a beaver. The idea for Marty struck Rudy, played by the usually engrossing Tom Wilkinson, while he was at an X-rated theatre looking for inspiration. Get it? Beaver? Yes I'm serious. They bring this idea to a publisher and it inexplicably sells. Marty becomes the next Barney although he is rude, crude, and his teeth are falling out of his face.
Justin Theroux gets behind the camera this time, and based on the shots and editing you almost feel like your watching the sequel to Requiem for a Dream and not a romantic comedy. The soundtrack is thumping and would be good if this was an action flick and you actually gave a damn about the characters.
Seriously if you liked this movie, god help you.
17 out of 78 found this helpful