Theatrical Review: LEAP YEAR

Rating: 4/10

Writers: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, John Lithgow
Studio: Universal

I’m going to be completely honest, I adore Amy Adams. I think she is one of the most impressive actresses out there these days, and time after time she has not let me down. Not to mention the critical acclaim she receives for almost every performance she does. Sadly, this was not one of those performances. Yeah, the movie didn’t look all that great from the trailer, but I did expect more since Adams was the lead. She wasn’t completely awful in it, it’s most likely the bad writing that makes her character feel so stale.The story of LEAP YEAR is extremely generic, and goes exactly the way you would expect it to. In a certain scene, they explain a situation and its repercussions, then ignore the smart decision and have to face the consequences. It was too obvious, and they didn’t go a creative way with a lot of the scenes. Additionally, I’m not sure the writers knew what kind of movie they were trying to make. Sometimes it felt like they were trying to make a comedy, other times it felt like a romance, and every now and then it felt like a drama. The only problem is that they didn’t blend well at all.

The first quarter of the movie was pretty bad. Amy Adams’ character felt so ridiculous and I didn’t believe her convictions in the least. There is a subtle way they could have shown her desire to get married, instead they make it ridiculous. Not only that, but it makes her seem crazy. Not in the cute “I’m frustrated about not getting engaged,” sort of way, more like the Britney Spears shaving her head and beating Kevin Federline’s SUV with an umbrella sort of way.

The last major complaint I have with the film is the ending. Not only does this movie have as many endings as RETURN OF THE KING, each one is progressively worse than the last. It also proves that they could not blend the comedy, romance, and drama. The first ending was the dramatic one. It was easily the best and would have made the most sense with the story. The second ending was the romantic one, which was overly sappy, felt random, and was very forced. The final ending was the comedic one, which wasn’t awful, but come on, it was the second just-as-unnecessary ending.

The movie isn’t all bad, though. I was kind of surprised by Matthew Goode, as his character had the genuine feel that Adams’ character was lacking. If there is anything that saved the movie, it would be him. Also, the movie did get a lot better in the middle and had some genuinely funny moments, enough to make the movie “okay.” Not to mention the setting being in Ireland, which is gorgeous (especially to Irish people, like myself). Unfortunately, the good is just overshadowed by the bad and the mediocre.

To sum it up, the movie is watchable but not more than once. I hope Amy Adams washes this one away with another memorable dramatic role. I’m sure I will forget this one and all three of its endings.