Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

7.4

I was a little worried in the first act with this one. They heavily overplay their shtick of “divorced couple who hates each other.” However, they pull out of the tailspin just in time to recover and make this a really sweet love story mirroring another love story, set inside a family drama-comedy. Similar to “Couples Retreat,” this film uses the tropical locale and all-star cast to its advantage, but doesn’t make it feel like cheating.

Julia Roberts and George Clooney end up having a great chemistry, and Clooney turns the charm up to 11. Nothing short of expectations there. Partially a “turn your brain off and enjoy the cheese factor” movie, but a great popcorn flick.

7.8

“You gotta sleep in the middle of the bed. No sense in having a side when there’s no one else to have a side.”

Sage advice from Diane Keaton in this romantic comedy masterpiece. I had often known of this film, but was promoted to give it a shot thanks to an Instagram story. Glad I was bored with another movie and scrolling Instagram.

This one really caught me by surprise and joined the upper echelon of romantic comedies for me. Jack Nicholson shines across from the incomparable Diane Keaton. Bother the cast and storyline fire on all cylinders to bring both laughter and heartfelt storytelling to life. A perfect balance, and a great film!