The first 45 minutes starts off with some pizazz as bored and desperate Claire Danes has a couple of bad dates with the over-the-top yet likable Jason Schwarzman. His character was completely unbelievable, but I had to admit his shtick was entertaining.
From there, just as some momentum is established, Steve Martin's character appears and diverts the story into a intriguing but ultimately extremely dull direction. Initial scenes with Danes and Martin suggest a mysterious plot development (who is he -- and why is he interested in her?), but the mystery is quickly dispelled as the camera (which until now had been on Danes in every scene - we only saw her point of view) candidly shows Martin at home watching TV while eating in the kitchen, or talking to his therapist, thus revealing that there is no underlying plot; the entire story is just about their shallow relationship itself.
Meanwhile, Schwarzman via an improbable yet not especially zany sequence of events, ends up on road trip where he transforms from imbecile to a perfect well-dressed, artsy, self-effacing, chivalrous, occasionally suave suitor who may even be rich now (can't really tell) - of course from listening to self help tapes. Kind of a funny idea, but not developed at all, just clumsily alluded to in a couple of scenes.
Schwarzman is naturally physically funny and manages to wring some humor scenes he's in, giving the film a jumpstart. Danes is charming and ordinary, while Martin is a self-possessed cipher (as usual). Martin gives a flat businesslike performance; while there are some hints of his essential style, it is not a comedic role.
Dialog in the second half of the film was predictable and extremely plain. As the film proceeded into the last 45 minutes, the scenes felt quite long and empty of any interesting story or details - just a series of scenes that were required to tie the middle of the movie to the conclusion. Don't worry, there was closure.
The biggest problem was a confusion about who the movie was about. At the beginning the story was clearly about Danes and her suitors. What amazing places will the poor yet genius artist and the rich guy with jet take her - what will unfold?? At some point the emphasis switched to Martin's character and his very mild suggestion of suffering from not being able to have 2 girlfriends at the same time. It was not a successful story arc, to say the least.
Ultimaltely the story felt weird and puzzling - by the end we were wondering more about Martin's motivation for the film than the merits of the story.
From there, just as some momentum is established, Steve Martin's character appears and diverts the story into a intriguing but ultimately extremely dull direction. Initial scenes with Danes and Martin suggest a mysterious plot development (who is he -- and why is he interested in her?), but the mystery is quickly dispelled as the camera (which until now had been on Danes in every scene - we only saw her point of view) candidly shows Martin at home watching TV while eating in the kitchen, or talking to his therapist, thus revealing that there is no underlying plot; the entire story is just about their shallow relationship itself.
Meanwhile, Schwarzman via an improbable yet not especially zany sequence of events, ends up on road trip where he transforms from imbecile to a perfect well-dressed, artsy, self-effacing, chivalrous, occasionally suave suitor who may even be rich now (can't really tell) - of course from listening to self help tapes. Kind of a funny idea, but not developed at all, just clumsily alluded to in a couple of scenes.
Schwarzman is naturally physically funny and manages to wring some humor scenes he's in, giving the film a jumpstart. Danes is charming and ordinary, while Martin is a self-possessed cipher (as usual). Martin gives a flat businesslike performance; while there are some hints of his essential style, it is not a comedic role.
Dialog in the second half of the film was predictable and extremely plain. As the film proceeded into the last 45 minutes, the scenes felt quite long and empty of any interesting story or details - just a series of scenes that were required to tie the middle of the movie to the conclusion. Don't worry, there was closure.
The biggest problem was a confusion about who the movie was about. At the beginning the story was clearly about Danes and her suitors. What amazing places will the poor yet genius artist and the rich guy with jet take her - what will unfold?? At some point the emphasis switched to Martin's character and his very mild suggestion of suffering from not being able to have 2 girlfriends at the same time. It was not a successful story arc, to say the least.
Ultimaltely the story felt weird and puzzling - by the end we were wondering more about Martin's motivation for the film than the merits of the story.