Rama's Screen

Can a romantic comedy be any more generic than LEAP YEAR? The thing is, LEAP YEAR still remains irresistible despite being so predictable. It’s a good thing I have a soft-spot for this type of storytelling. It’s a textbook case of rom-com, it follows the guidelines down to a tee. But… thanks to gorgeous Ireland with its breathtaking scenery, amazing natural backdrop that serve as a majestic supporting role, Amy Adams’ bumbling yet adorable way of presenting herself and Matthew Goode’s laidback yet charming performance, LEAP YEAR reaches its target audience and doesn’t let go.

When their four-year anniversary passes without a marriage proposal, Anna (Amy Adams) decides to take matters into her own hands. Investing in an Irish tradition that allows women to propose to men on February 29th, Anna decides to follow her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) to Dublin and get down on one knee herself.
But airplanes, weather and fate leave Anna stranded on the other side of Ireland, and she must enlist the help of handsome and surly Declan (Matthew Goode) to get her across the country. As Anna and Declan bicker across the Emerald Isle, they discover that the road to love can take you to very unexpected places.

LEAP YEAR is one of those heartwarming rom-coms that will definitely speak to female audiences, it’s a chick flick through and through. That doesn’t mean it won’t speak to their boyfriends either. These are two characters, Ana and Declan, who at first can’t stand each other, mainly because Ana is such a city girl and Declan thinks her plan of proposing to her boyfriend is the stupidest thing in the world. As a person who doesn’t believe in myths, she’s willing and desperate to give this particular one a chance, as a person who believes that everything will work out somehow, he doesn’t think a decision that big should be placed on some baseless tradition.

I’m aware that some of the shots in this film are green screen effects but for some that were actually shot outside.. my God is Ireland a beautiful country or what! Unless they filmed it somewhere else that I didn’t know about.
Hell I’d watch LEAP YEAR for the view.
But in all fairness, once again, Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are worth watching. Their chemistry is not off, it’s just right. The story, as unoriginal as it is, brings us the pride of Irish including the fights and the drinking. And watching high heels and Louis Vitton make their way through the emerald land is nothing short of amusing. If one or two of the situations in the plot don’t get you to even at least chuckle a bit, then ya, this isn’t the movie for you.

The writing by scribes Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont is a bit weak in the beginning parts. There are times when you think you’re in for an awful ride, wondering how you got yourself stuck watching the movie in the first place. The jokes fall flat, the dialogue lunpleasant and the build-up is dull. Thoughts of their unbearable previous work like Josie and the Pussycats and Surviving Christmas suddenly flash before your eyes. But as the story progresses, it’s obvious that they’ve watched enough rom-coms to eventually stick to the formula, and suddenly you’re reminded that these are the same two scribes that wrote the equally entertaining Made Of Honor. How Ana and Declan come to understand, appreciate and fall in love with each other will tame even the savage beast.

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