The latest Hugh Grant comedy wings its way to the home formats this past week, and this time the bumbling British actor stars opposite Sarah Jessica Parker (who stars in this week’s massive big screen release Sex and the City 2) in Did You Hear About The Morgans.
I had the pleasure of reviewing the movie on Blu-Ray, so here goes.
The story is simple. The Morgans, Hugh and Carrie, sorry Sarah, play Paul and Meryl respectively, and they’re well, not getting on. In fact the two are heading for the end of the road after Meryl hears of Paul’s cheating during a business trip to California. After splitting and living apart in the big city, New Yawk, the two look like they will end up in the divorce courts, but Paul Morgan is not going to give up that easily, and he manages to pursuade hot shot real state agent Meryl to a dinner date on rainy NYC night. The date goes, well not all that great, but Paul walks Meryl home but then tragedy (and the film’s hook) hits. One of Meryl’s clients is murdered before their very eyes. The two witness the whole thing so are subsequently forced to live together in a witness protection programme in the middle of knowhere, cowboy county. Hilarity ensues.
Hugh Grant. You have to love him. He pops up in films like this every couple of years, and let’s face it, he always seems to play the same roles — the unlucky British bumbler, usually living abroad who is having trouble with the opposite sex. He’s done it with SandraBullock in Marc Lawrence‘s Two Week’s Notice, and even Drew Barrymore in Music and Lyrics. Now, despite the fact that he does seem to do the same thing with every, frankly similar movie, he does do it extremely well, and he does here too. This guys, by his own admission, hates making movies — but he is good. As for Miss Carrie Bradshaw, well yes, I have seen most of the first Sex and the City movie and most of the TV series, and she’s great. I just didn’t like her in this. I found her character quite annoying and didn’t think that she gelled with Grant that well. Some of the comedic set pieces and some of Parker’s lines were a bit cliched, and unfortunately most of the script worked against her.
The suporting cast for the flick is strong and I love the resurgence in Sam Elliott who popped up briefly in Up In The Air last year and again in this as the local Marshall tasked with looking after the Morgans in the witness protection programme. He great, as is his on screen wife Mary Steenbergen.
So, back to the film as a whole. It just didn’t vibe. As with director Lawrence’s other efforts, like the aforementioned Two Week’s Notice, oh and erm Music and Lyrics, it just doesn’t grab you. It’s just okay — a run of the mill romantic comedy that doesn’t do any harm, but doesn’t set the world on fire either — and what is his infatuation, as much as I like him, with Hugh Grant?
It’s a solid rom-com and it has an audience. I can think of no reason as to why you would hate this movie — but there’s not much to love either.
DVD Extras:
The full list of extras follow. The audio commentary I actually listened toit in full, and it’s quite entertaining and worth a look if you have the time. Good to see the directo and two main actors taking part for a change. The making of is quite in depth and I love Hugh Grant musing about his love of making movies and standing in the pouring rain in NYC in the middle of the night, and then there’s your standard trailers and outtakes. Here’s how they all add up.
- Audio Commentary by Director Marc Lawrence and Stars Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker
- Location, Location, Location: The Making of Did You Hear About The Morgans?
- Cowboys and Cosmopolitans: The Stars of Did You Hear About The Morgans?
- Park Avenue Meets the Prairie: The Fashions of Did You Hear About The Morgans?
- A Bear of a Scene
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- International Special
The Grades:
Film: C-
Extras: B+
