Directed by Nancy Meyers. Starring Jack Nicholson; Diane Keaton; Keanu Reeves; Amanda Peet. Cert: 12. Running Time: 123 Mins Approx.
With a comedy like this you know it\’s fluff. You sit down and you know where it\’s going pretty much straight off. So what\’s the trick? To enjoy the ride; and with big hitters like Nicholson and Keaton playing ball it\’s gonna be an entertaining game.
One of Nicholson\’s many strengths as an older male actor is to not be afraid to play his age, and that is not something not many of them can say. He convinces. The story convinces. He\’s Jack, but then he always is. It\’ just when he does it right you forget. And each event seems to grow organically, not to be stage-managed to get you somewhere, which is where these kind of things can fall down.
Keanu\’s a tad wooden but he has an underwritten part to fill so what can be expected?
It has charm. It makes you smile. And there are enough nice touches to make this a pleasure to watch. Not as good \’As Good As It Gets\’ or \’About Schmidt\’ but better than the average rom-com.
Keaton is sexier than Peet. Nicholson is more charming than Reeves. The older generation wins a total smackdown in this battle. A great film.