A young man set to begin his life after college, ponders the moments that led to his first true love, their misadventures within the world of the tingles, and the happy and sad times of their topsy-turvy relationship.
Kinda cute, kinda sweet, kinda corny, kinda predictable, kinda romantic, kinda funny, kinda dramatic and kinda forgettable…and ultimately, kinda so-so. I’ve generally given greater points to these predictable “teen flicks” when they come saddled with a couple of charming stars who can hold my attention for the entire 90 minutes, and this one had just that, with Freddie Prinze coming through once again as the shy, goofy, romantic lead, and Julia Stiles, as the cute, ambitious, engaging co-star. Does the film offer us any new insights into those loopy men from Mars or women from Venus? Well, not really, but I suppose I just happened to be in the mood for a light, romantic, easy-going drama with a couple of laughs (The “Cooks!” TV show was pretty funny), and I guess this movie offered me just that with not much else. Truth is, this film is probably more of a “video movie” than anything else. Rent it with your better half, cuddle up next to a wood-burning fire, warm up some nachos and get jiggy with it for the rest of the nite. You might also want to bring a date to this film, seeing as it has a lot to do with people meeting and getting to know each other better, and be prepared to jostle over the film’s depth for a maximum of five minutes afterwards.
You’ll also be happy to know that there are no fart, poop or vomit jokes in the entire film (Although those types of jokes do have a place in some movies), and that the two sing-a-long sequences from the respective stars, despite lacking originality, were quite lovey-dovey and adorable in their own sugar-coated, manufactured way. I have to admit that I didn’t much care for the exaggerated side characters in the film, especially Selma Blair and Zak Orth, who just seemed to be there as “bizarre” distractions to the main cute couple. All in all, I guess it would help if you were in a relationship yourself when you see this movie, or at least have savored a touch of the big L sometime in your lifetime. Otherwise, suck in all the sap and goofy romance still rolling around in your grey ol’ heart, and enjoy this light feather of a film for nothing more than what it is: the simple love story of a couple of cute kids.