Catch And Release

Okay,

I know I've been doing an awful lot of film reviews and pop-culture related blogs lately and I assure you, those will be less and less often and I promise to have more with topics about personal issues and things going on in the world. So take this blog for what it is and enjoy it.

Last night I caught a film that I'd expect that I'd hate and it turned out I loved: "Catch and Release". Now, I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies or chick flicks although there are some I've fallen victim to. However, I feel that there was bad marketing done with this film since I feel only a portion of it dealt with romance and female-issues. This isn't so much a film about love as much as it is a film about friendship.

What first attracted me to this film is the fact that Kevin Smith (brilliant entertainer whether it be directing, stand-up, or acting) had a role in it. I expected it to be a glorified cameo but instead was wowed when he turned out having a major role in the film and in fact, he's the third credited actor in the credits. On top of that, one might think he's in the film merely as comic relief - and he is, but he's also the voice of reason in the film which I thought was excellent.

The movie itself starts at a funeral. Gray (played by Jennifer Garner) is grieving with having lost her in a sudden accident the day before her wedding, which I don't think they explain. Doesn't matter anyway, guy is dead - end of story. So now, she's left to live in their house together with his 2 roomates Sam (Kevin Smith) and Dennis (Some other guy). Sam very funny and easy-going but also very naive. Remember when I said he was also the voice of reason? Well, it's funny how his character is written; not only is he a little dimwitted but he's very honest about life and lighthearted which makes his character even better. Dennis (Sam's brother, played by the other guy), is the very responsible by-the-book kind of guy who can be bit of a control freak and keeps Sam in line sometimes. There's also Fritz, who is this ultra-cool Advertising Exec who ends up falling for Gray and vice-versa - that's the love story segment.

The films main theme is a group of friends coming to terms with themselves and the fact that their best friend has just died. It's a personal journey of acceptance and looking to the future, something I didn't expect out of it and something I learned a lot from - and saying I learned something new and important from a movie truly says something. Skeletons come out of their dead friends closet which everyone must come to terms with, even Gray; but by the end everyone is able to accept what's happened and move on to the future.

I really enjoyed the movie because it deals a lot with friendship and looking to the future rather than being a cliche' romantic film. Kevin Smith truly stole the movie however everyone in it acted really well. I do plan on getting this movie to own so that I can watch whenever I feel discouraged about something negative that happened so I can get some guidance. I guess it will go on my shelf next to "High Fidelity" (the ultimate break-up movie) which I watch whenever a girl breaks my heart.

I already mentioned this movie to some people I know and everyone so far has said the same things and have all said they liked it. I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a good light-hearted movie or to anyone who needs a little motivation to look for the future.

This is probably my last movie blog for a while, I'll try to put more blogs up about myself and about issues out there. However, it's hard for me to do blogs about myself since I try to avoid putting my job and whatnot on the internet. Anyways, look for new posts and enjoy the weekend. Later guys.

Chris