Down to You
USA - 2000
|
|
|
Movie Review By Monica Sullivan
I went to see "Down To You" late one Sunday night in January along with a handful of seedy-looking gents who'd clearly shelled out six bits shy of a sawbuck to get out of the rain. Imagine my surprise the following morning when I discovered that "Down To You" was the weekend's top grossing film NATIONALLY. Even though "She's All That" & "10 Things I Hate About You" (the previous films of co-stars Freddie Prinze Jr.& Julia Stiles) had done well, "Down to You" is by far the chickest flick I've ever watched so close to Super Bowl Sunday. The three-step tango of the plot (Boy Gets Girl/Boy Loses Girl/Boy Gets Girl Back) is adorned with so few frills that it's rather a shock to see it in the 21st century.
The two leads talk to us about their relationship with such good humor that there isn't a smidgin of tension or mystery about the outcome. BUT, as Miramax producers were unquestionably aware, Prinze & Stiles could perform the minor miracle of successfully opening this film simply by being their own sweet, appealing & disarming selves. Prinze, who has the saddest, most soulful eyes since Tyrone Power, only has to open~ them and project charismatic sincerity at its highest voltage on every female in the audience. And Stiles as Imogen, who is gifted with a round, glowing face, a marvelously average body & a strong, intelligent voice, makes you understand why He'd stick with Her, with or without non-stop tingles. (their word) The rest of the cast comes mostly from television: Henry Winkler & Lucie Arnaz as His doting parents, Selma Blair (so funny in "Cruel Intentions") as a surprisingly unseductive vamp, Ashton Kutcher as a nobody who calls himself Jim Morrison, plus Shawn Hatosy, Zak Orth & Rosario Dawson. Whenever his sketchy screenplay falters, director Kris Isaacson cranks up the cuteness factor to a blushingly high level. "Down To You" is a painless 98m. examination of the Perfect Boyfriend & the Girl who Loves Him
© 2000 - Monica Sullivan - Air Date: 1/26/00
