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Click above to purchase "Someone Like You" at amazon.com
Someone Like You
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Studio: Fox
Running Time: 97 minutes
Starring Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman,
Marisa Tomei and Ellen Barkin
Screenplay by Elizabeth Chandler
Based upon the novel "Animal Husbandry" by Laura Zigman
Directed by Tony Goldwyn
Retail Price: $26.98
Features: Audio Commentary with Director Tony Goldwyn,
Featurette, Alternate Ending, Seven Extended Scenes, Five TV
Spots, Theatrical Trailer
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround,
English Closed Captions, English Subtitles, Spanish
Subtitles, Scene Selection (22 Scenes)
Released: September 18th, 2001
Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) is a talk show talent scout
who is coming to grips with changes in her professional and
personal life. She is head over heels for a co-worker named
Ray (Greg Kinnear), but when things between them fizzle and
she rooms with another co-worker, Eddie (the always likeable
Hugh Jackman). Add in a crazy best friend, relationship
bonds of sorts and a subplot involving Jane's sister and
Jane having a pesdonym for a column that becomes popular,
and start to realize things about herself, and you have a
rather standard romantic comedy.
Based on the book "Animal Husbandry" by Laura Zigman,
"Someone Like You" is one of the better romantic comedies
I've seen lately. While it can be easily predicted and is
flawed in the story department, it is somewhat
clichéd and brings nothing new to a tired and true
genre. The film is simple to understand and the motives of
the characters are quite clear, but it does ring some
interesting truths. However, upon closer inspection, a lot
of stuff is just hidden in disguise and really is stuff
we've all seen and come to expect beforeh. Still, I found
the film worth sitting through at least once and is
enjoyable. It won't entertain you to death and it can drag
on sometimes, but a strong cast and a breezy running time
does make it worth watching.
I guess the main problem with the movie is the script.
You have your struggling hopeless romantic, the jerk who she
can't resist but hates and the guy who she doesn't notice
and grows to love. Add in a cynical best friend, a subplot
dealing with family that tries to go somewhere but really
falls flat on its face and a whole secret idenity thing plus
standard male comparisons and you have yourself a movie.
Wait, that's the whole script. I guess I'm complaining about
everything then, since it actually is all typical. I don't
know why though, parts of this movie did click with me. I
dunno, I was entertained. Other parts that tried to make it
preachy and sappy I did not click with, and I felt were
pretty much useless.
The cast is very nice though. Ashley Judd makes a fine
romantic lead, while Hugh Jackman and Greg Kinnear as love
interests are strong actors with good sensibilities to play
off Judd. Their quirks do capture the characters. Ellen
Barkin is decent, while Marisa Tomei is also pretty good as
Jane's friend. They make this movie shine, and there is good
casting here to help push it up a little.
Tony Goldwyn, an actor and a director, does a good job
here. Good editing and again, this movie is a breeze. It's a
bit uneven and not fully fleshed out, but it really could
have been worse. Standard, but fun. So it's worth checking
out for a Saturday night with a loved one, or if you like
romantic comedies. It just needed more development.
Wow! Fox has provided a near-reference quality image for
"Someone Like You." It may not seem like a movie to be that
way, but like usual, Fox gets so much right it's hard to
disagree. Everything is perfect except for the ocassional
blemish or scratch. Colors are fully saturated and black
levels are rock solid. I didn't notice any major shimmering
or any noise either. Detail is also superb, and the three
dimensionality of the image is rather stunning. It brings to
life the nice exterior and interior locations of New York.
One of the best transfers for a live-action film for the
year 2001.
The 5.1 Dolby Digital English track is also pretty great
and took me by surprise. The sounds of the city and talk
show are very active and bring good life to the channels,
while the romantic songs also sound very nice. Add in good
.1 LFE when used, crisp and clear dialogue that isn't
overpowered by other sounds and you have a strong mix with
high fidelity and good dynamic range. English subtitles and
Spanish subtitles are included on this disc, plus English
closed captions and Dolby Surround tracks for English and
French languages.
Though it's not labeled a special edition, Fox has given
consumers a nice package for the film which quite a few may
be interested in. We first have an Audio Commentary with
Director Tony Goldwyn. Goldwyn, an actor by trade and
who has directed before ("A Walk On The Moon" - great coming
of age film in my opinion) opens up here and offers a rather
insightful and very enjoyable commentary. He constantly
talks, and talks about his directing approach, how he got
into directing and how he got this film, developing it, how
it differs from the book and a whole lot more. Good
production stories, and he praises his cast and crew
thoughtfully. No silence and while he isn't screen specific
all the time, he is a good deal of the time. He discusses
his technique and offers some jokes along the way. Good
focus as he is relaxed and well prepared. Worth a listen for
sure!
We're also treated to Seven Extended Scenes and an
Alternate Ending, each with Optional Audio
Commentary with Tony Goldwyn. The scenes are in
non-anamorphic widescreen, and actually sometimes jump from
color to black and white. Goldwyn offers more commentary
here, as he discusses being lost and confusion, and what he
wanted. So, they're worth checking out and he has great
reasoning here. Nice scenes and insightful optional
commentary.
Your standard promotional Featurette is here as
well, with clips from the film, behind-the-scenes footage
and fluffy interviews (plus standard announcer). It's full
frame, promotional and short.
What else? Why, Five TV Spots and the full frame
Theatrical Trailer! The menus are pretty great,
fitting in with the film's themes and style... a great Fox
standard we can always expect.
"Someone Like You" is your above-average romantic comedy,
but we really have experienced a lot of the things in the
movie in other flicks. This DVD features a strong
presentation and some decent supplements, though I wish
there would have been background on the book, a battle of
the sexes comparison of some kind and other sorts of
features to compliment. In either case, it's worth a rental
or if you want it, it'll fit nicely in your collection.
 (3/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
 (4/5)
 (2.5/5)
(3.5/5, NOT an average)
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