![]() you know, it's late and I have to fly home tomorrow. Well, of course, Rosalee is ecstatic about the trip to L.A., the stretch limo, the suite at the W hotel, the expensive dinner date, and the moment when she teeters on the brink when Tad invites her to his home, and then says, gee. Then she wins a contest to have a date with Tad Hamilton ( Josh Duhamel), a Hollywood star whose agent thinks his image could use a little touch-up after a supermarket tabloid photographs him speeding, drinking, letching and littering all at the same time. He loves her, but can't bring himself to tell her so. Her manager, who she has known since they were children, is Pete Monash ( Topher Grace). She plays Rosalee Futch, a check-out clerk at the Piggly Wiggly in Fraser's Bottom, W.Va. Maybe it's something to do with Kate Bosworth's smile. Others will respond with a horse laugh, and although I cannot quarrel with them I do not share their sentiments. And because it embraces its innocence like a lucky charm, it works, for those willing to allow it. It's retro in every respect, a romantic comedy in a world so innocent that a lifetime is settled with a kiss. I could have seen it at the Princess Theater in Urbana in 1959. The Gag Reel isn’t very funny but it will make you see Duhamel in a whole new light.Here is a movie for people who haunt the aisles of the video stores searching for 1950s romances. Luckily, two (groan) Paris Hilton cameos were justifiably scrapped. Many of the deleted scenes would have made Pete a better candidate for best beau had they been incorporated in the film. ![]() The deleted scenes on the DVD include an alternate opening that’s a throwback to Jerry Maguire and an alternate ending that’s much more fulfilling. Unfortunately, to an outsider, the film, despite its quirky characters, is nothing more than skin-deep. The stylized version of California we see through Rosalee’s eyes is a biting commentary on how superficial the west coast can seem (or be) to an outsider. It promises equal doses of sweet and funny devoid of any depth and an ending that should be fulfilling but isn’t. I adore Topher Grace but even I found myself beset by Duhamel’s come hither eyes.ĭespite its plot troubles, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! is considerably less bland than many of its predecessors. The film needed much more of this and less of Josh Duhamel’s alluring gazes. There is one wonderful montage where we see a night in the lives of Tad and Pete, both lonely but the latter more fun than the former. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! spends so much time focusing on the lip-locks between Rosalee and Tad that we never really understand Pete. All the gusto Topher Graces infers upon Eric Forman in That 70’s Show is nowhere to be seen. All we know is that our acerbic Pete, the best manager Piggly Wiggly manager ever, has plans to go on to college and take Rosalee with him. Sure, until he meets Rosalee, Tad is incredibly lame and superficial but Rosalee makes him want to be a better man. The problems with the film begin when we’re lured into feeling sympathy for Pete while realizing that Tad is the most appealing suitor. Not only does he find Tad utterly artificial, Tad’s cramping his style at the worst moment since Pete has finally come up with the nerve to tell Rosalee his true feelings. When Tad finds himself irresistibly drawn to Rosalee’s “goodness,” he rearranges his entire life to move to Virginia to be closer to her. The drama in this comedy arises after Rosalee and Tad’s win-a-date is over. ![]() Of course, everyone thinks it’s gee-golly-adorable, including the audience. ![]() Whenever she’s nervous, Rosalee jumbles her words up so that “Hello, how are you” becomes “you how hello are”. She isn’t coy, she doesn’t play any mind games and sometimes she acts a little (what’s the word?)… retarded. Futch, the one-of-a-kind ingénue that any pair of guys would squabble over. Kate Bosworth dons some bangs and an effervescent smile to make Ms. Rosalee doesn’t know that the contest is a ruse created by Tad’s managers Richard Lewis and his agent Richard Lewis (ahem) to clean up Tad’s image after a night of debauchery puts a damper on his future film prospects. Omigosh! So, like, when naïve Virginia hick, Rosalee Futch (aka Small-town Barbie) enters a charity contest where she can “WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!” Well, she wins a date with Tad Hamilton. Pete’s lack of last name in the film only foreshadows the problems in the plot. The story centers on a love triangle that includes celebrity bad boy Tad Hamilton, a Piggly Wiggly checkout girl named Rosalee Futch and her best friend Pete. At worst, an effort in voyeurism, its attempt to become a cutesy romance is awkward and weak. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! attempts to draw on our secret fantasies of dating movie stars but falls short. Topher Grace, Kate Bosworth and Josh Duhamel in ‘Win A Date With Tad Hamilton’ ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |