I’m a sucker for any movie involving Ireland, and Amy Adams has become
one of my favorite actresses in recent years, so I was intrigued by Leap Year
as soon as I began seeing previews. I finally got around to seeing it
this week, and while it’s a thoroughly predictable romantic comedy, I
found it enjoyable.
Written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont and directed by Anand Tucker, Leap Year
stars Adams as Anna Brady, an upper-class woman who prepares homes for
open houses. She likes her job, and she’s quite contented with her
boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) except that she wishes he would hurry up
and propose to her already. When that doesn’t seem likely to happen any
time soon, she decides to take matters into her own hands by following
the example of her grandmother and proposing to her man herself. The
catch: It has to be in Ireland, and it has to be on February 29th.
I’d like to think I’m fairly up on Irish traditions, but I’ve never
heard of this one, and neither had most of the people in the movie,
which makes me wonder if it’s not so much a tradition as something this
character’s grandmother just happened to do. Certainly, it seems silly
for her to be so set on this date and location when her boyfriend is
probably unaware of the significance. However, it gives her journey more
urgency, even if it is a bit artificial.
Adams isn’t at her
most charming here, but she’s mostly likable despite some irritating
tendencies. Mostly, she’s a bit of a diva, and when complications ensue
as she tries to surprise Jeremy by meeting him in Dublin, where he’s
away at a conference, she does a little more complaining than is called
for. Then again, she does have one heck of a trying trip - but, of
course, it turns out to be the most rewarding adventure of her life.
I enjoyed the verbal jousting of Anna and Declan (Matthew Goode), the
pub owner who agrees to shuttle her to Dublin from the Irish tiny town
where she winds up. Goode has an appealing rugged charm to him, and
Declan comes across as down-to-earth, friendly but unwilling to be
bullied. Their animosity blooming into respect and then affection
reminded me of Far and Away, except in that movie, the
relationship develops over the course of several months. Here, it all
happens in a couple of days, which makes the whole thing seem
considerably less realistic.
I was also a little bothered by
the fact that we’re obviously supposed to dislike Jeremy, but he’s
really not a bad guy. He’s just preoccupied - which I imagine has to do
with the fact that he is a cardiologist - and a bit insensitive. Mostly,
though, he just doesn’t make much of an impression; he barely shows up
in the movie, which allows viewers not to be too troubled by the idea
that he could lose his girlfriend to this cheeky Irishman.
My
favorite aspect of the movie was the setting, with its green expanses
and cozy cottages, and the most entertaining bits to me were those
involving elderly pub regulars bickering over the specifics of various
Irish proverbs. I also got a kick out of John Lithgow as Anna’s
eccentric father, who unwittingly puts the Leap Year idea into her head.
While the premise is rather hokey, Leap Year is a
light-hearted and inoffensive romantic comedy. A PG rating is rare for
live-action films these days, but it perfectly suits this movie, which
is geared at adults but appropriate for children. If Irish landscapes
and frothy romance are your thing, don’t wait until the next February
29th to check out this little gem.
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