I just returned from a sneak preview of Must Love Dogs, and I couldn't help but check my watch repeatedly throughout. I love John Cusack, but come next weekend's critics' reviews, he will no doubt be calling his agent, hoping against hope to be cast in something that will revive his career after this horrible misstep.
It's not his fault -- the screenplay is absolutely atrocious. It comes across as if written by a first-year writing student. Every scene is played precisely on-the-nose, with nothing remotely approaching subtlety, character motivation, or any consideration save the single, straightforward plot. There are no subplots to speak of -- every conversation in the picture is ham-handedly directed toward its prescribed outcome.
There is -- quite literally -- not a surprise in the entire film. (And PerfectMatch.com clearly paid a lot for product placement; they beat you over the head with its name.)
Yes, it's supposed to be a romantic comedy, and there are allowances to be made for the genre. But the laughs are forced, the comic timing is nonexistent, and the entire piece feels like a low-budget student film.
Or -- as seems more appropriate given Goldberg's pedigree -- like a television producer overextending himself in making the leap to the big screen.
It's not his fault -- the screenplay is absolutely atrocious. It comes across as if written by a first-year writing student. Every scene is played precisely on-the-nose, with nothing remotely approaching subtlety, character motivation, or any consideration save the single, straightforward plot. There are no subplots to speak of -- every conversation in the picture is ham-handedly directed toward its prescribed outcome.
There is -- quite literally -- not a surprise in the entire film. (And PerfectMatch.com clearly paid a lot for product placement; they beat you over the head with its name.)
Yes, it's supposed to be a romantic comedy, and there are allowances to be made for the genre. But the laughs are forced, the comic timing is nonexistent, and the entire piece feels like a low-budget student film.
Or -- as seems more appropriate given Goldberg's pedigree -- like a television producer overextending himself in making the leap to the big screen.