Weekly Review -- Romcom to romcom

Love and Other Disasters (2006) -- A jolly candy of a romantic comedy, this Alex Keshishian film is an insightful look at love and... well, the title really says it all. U.K. Vogue intern Emily Jackson (Brittany Murphy), known as 'Jacks' to her friends, enjoys setting them up with potential partners. Her lovelorn best friend Peter (Matthew Rhys) thinks that Jacks should pay more attention to her own lukewarm love life, but both of them, like their friends, are busy hooking up with dead-end mates. At a photo shoot, Jacks meets photographer's assistant Paolo (Santiago Cabrera), immediately matching him up in her mind to Peter and sending them out on a date. However, Paolo has his sights set on someone else... The structure of this movie is what makes it very different from the usual romcom fare. The movie enjoys referencing itself and placing its own story in a cinematic context, using the usual genre clichés to break down the fourth wall in reverse, so to speak. The movie-within-a-movie device works miracles here, making the characters even more relatable, and the casting is very appealing. Murphy's trademark wide-eyed confusion serves her well in the role of a rather ditzy matchmaker -- one who graduated from Clueless, perhaps? -- and Rhys is a delight as her counterpart. Cabrera is charming as Paolo; his exchanges with Murphy's character are full of life. I also enjoyed the various cameo appearances, including one of the always hilarious Dawn French. You will have to discover the rest of this movie's surprises on your own, since I would never tell; just rest assured that you are in for a sweet treat and a refreshing perspective on that ole devil called love.

7/10