User Reviews

Romantic comedy movies are pretty much unchallenging and don't make Oscar lists, and Leap Year is no exception to this. That said, not all films are made to be high art.

Attractive cast, attractive scenery and some funny dialogue save this film from being a total dud.

Ireland in this kind of film is always portrayed as slightly soft focus, "fiddle dee dee", and full of character stereotypes. Imagine people laughing in pubs and exchanging "banter".

The plot is predictable - super organised American Anna ends up through increasingly ridiculous circumstances in a small West Coast village and meets Declan, the local publican whose wife left him for another man, so of course he's somewhat seemingly bitter and jaded about romance and the apparent tradition of women asking men to marry them on February 29th - leap day. He ends up being roped in to taking Anna to Dublin to propose to her boyfriend who is apparently at some heart surgeon conference. Through various ridiculous situations Anna and Declan fall for one another, and you can pretty much guess the rest. This film could have been written by an algorithm such is the predictably!

That said, it isn't too bad - it's an easy watch, with some decent dialogue in parts and the leads play their cliched roles very well. Just don't expect any surprises or shocks along the way. You know how it will end before it even really starts.

Matthew Goode is known as saying he didn't like the film, and perhaps as an actor he has a point. But he does well with the thin material here and pulls off a fairly convincing accent.

Don't come to this film with any lofty expectations and you'll enjoy it. 90 minutes or thereabouts of unchallenging romantic comedy.

OK ...first of all the Cliffs of Moher are not in Dingle so don't plan a trip there expecting to see those amazing cliffs ...they are in Connemara, on Ireland's West coast. Also a ferry from Wales can bring you to Dublin in 2 hours .... to get to Dingle will take you 24 hrs!!! I know it's just a movie but please!! Also could they not find an equally handsome Irish actor to play the Irish fella - British born Mr. Goode's accent was awful and all over the place. He couldn't decide himself what part of Ireland he was supposed to be from. Last but not least nobody in Ireland would ever get married on a Sunday (or plan it outside at the end of Feb) .... total blasphemy. I enjoyed the comedy and the chemistry between the 2 main characters and apart from the very predictable script it was a cute little movie. I suppose I'm just a wee bit offended that the writers couldn't have made the back drop a bit more believable.

Well, I see that many people do not like this movie. It reminds me of my whirlwind and surprise wedding. I love it!

Some things I really liked about the movie was the transition of Anna. She got on the airplane looking very polished, at the end of the journey, she had rolled with all the punches, never lost her sense of humor, and still looked lovely.

Our Dekko was cool-headed, kind, patient, and forgiving. He seemed to take her for who she is, and find things to like about her. He rolled with the punches too.

My favorite scene was when they were cooking. They cooked together. He wasn't telling her how to do things, he wasn't expecting her to wait on him. They were a team. Pretty much that's how they got to Dublin.

On the way they found out about each others values and deepest hurts. Both showed compassion for each other.

It doesn't take four years to know that you love each other and are for each other, maybe it just takes preparing dinner together as a team, and throw in a road trip for a bonus!

"Leap Year" Spoiler Alert!

As most movie-goers know, in 99% of romantic comedies, the two main characters end up together at the end. So what separates good romantic comedies from mediocre ones from downright bad ones is what fills the movie until the final moments. In the best romantic comedies, viewers grow to like the main characters and root for them to be together. Viewers understand why the characters like each other. The entanglements that (temporarily) prevent them from being together are fairly believable, as are plot twists. In the best movies, viewers also grow to care about the secondary characters, who often have plots, character development and romantic interests of their own, and who also serve to help the leads towards their goals. And of course, the best romantic comedies are actually, you know... romantic and comedic.

Leap Year is missing every element of a good -- or even a mediocre -- romantic comedy. Both main characters, Anna and Declan, are unlikable. Anna because she is selfish, demanding, stuck-up and narrow-minded. Declan because he's just a major crab-ass with a chip on his shoulder, hurling little but hate at someone who needs his help. The vast majority of their dialog consists of the two of them tossing insults and commands at each other, but not in a classic humorous banter kind of way. Just mean. They are not likable for the viewer, and I don't buy that they were likable to each other.

The plot twists are beyond stupid. Viewers are expected to believe that it takes a rich American woman several days to cross Ireland. Ireland is a first-world country smaller than the state of Ohio, complete with boats, trains, planes, automobiles, taxis and buses, so of course the whole premise is beyond silly. And of course the goal that supposedly drives this whole plot -- Anna must propose to her boyfriend Jeremy on February 29 -- is flimsy and trite, especially for a self-sufficient woman from 21st Century America.

Speaking of boyfriends, there is really only one secondary character worth noting -- the boyfriend Jeremy -- and he is barely in the film. To the extent that he is an impediment to the female lead falling in love with Declan, it's more just presented as fact, and not shown. Nor is it shown why Anna wants him so badly, or why they got together in the first place, etc. Finally, the film tries to convince us that, even after he proposed to Anna, Jeremy never really loved her. And yet... the film fails to convince. If anything, Jeremy's "flaws" are that he is practical and cautious. There is no hint that he does not love Anna. When Anna dumps him (off-screen) so she can return to Ireland and pursue Declan, this botched plot point only makes it seem like Anna didn't get what she really wanted -- a dream life in America -- and so she settles for some scrub in Ireland instead.

Every other secondary character in the film is completely inconsequential, including Anna's father, played by John Lithgow, who we see for approximately 45 seconds and who serves no purpose other than to set up the importance of February 29th. No one makes us laugh. No one makes us care. No one contributes to Anna and Declan falling in love, expect through the most contrived ways (like some people at an inn who insist they kiss each other at the dinner table). There is certainly no character development among anyone besides the two leads (and even their character development is stunted, at best.)

Perhaps worst of all, the film is neither romantic nor funny. Although the two leads are quite handsome, they don't match. There is no chemistry. There is no friendship or cooperation. The most -- nay, the only -- romantic moment in the whole movie came when Anna and Declan accidentally crashed a wedding, and the bride gave a speech to her groom that was short and sweet and wonderful... and completely unrelated to anything else in the film.

And speaking of accidentally crashing a wedding... the film was completely unfunny. Attempts at humor consisted of "witty banter" that was neither witty nor funny nor flirtatious, just mean. It consisted of Anna stepping in cow poop, then complaining about her $600 shoes. It consisted of a car rolling into a lake. Of Anna being too snotty to ride in said car, because it was small. Of Anna blowing the electricity in an entire Irish town because she is stupid. Of Declan... oh hell, at least the script tried to make Anna's actions funny, even if it failed. The script didn't even try to make Declan funny at all, so I have no examples of the Declan-driven humor. He was non-stop sourpuss.

Oh, and that wedding scene reminds me... Much of this movie takes place outdoors. Including the wedding mentioned above, with the bride and guests in bare arms, and no one in coats or hats. This movie takes place in February. Ireland is in the north and it is cold. Especially in February. But you wouldn't know it from the clothes or behavior of the characters. Other reviewers have pointed out similar lack of care regarding the geography of Ireland, the current state of technology of Ireland, and the stereotypical treatment -- bordering on racist insult -- of the Irish people.

To sum it all up: This movie is a nearly complete failure all around. No romance, no comedy. No one to care about. No one to root for. Nothing and no one helping us make it through to the end. Two stars for good production values, sets, scenery and sound. Zero stars for everything else.

I am a guy who has grown up on action, animation and romantic movies. So I love them, even though they are predictable like hell. And Amy Adams is one of my favorite actress (her smile is wonderful) which would make this a pretty good watch, for me. This movie, though a romantic comedy is low on laugh out loud sequences and filled with moments which brings a small smile. Amy Adams brings about the necessary charm which her character needs, while Matthew Goode brings his brooding good looks to the table. The movie is slow at times and those who like 27 Dresses type of movies probably will like this. And the English accent is hard to understand sometimes, so the subtitles come in handy. The chemistry between the two lead actors is good, but Matthew Goode doesn't give the feeling that he is too involved with the story.

Anna Brady (Amy Adama) from Boston is a planner who stages apartments for Realtors. Anna has been dating cardiologist, Jeremy (Adam Scott) for four years and they are buying a high standard apartment in Davenport together. Anna expects Jeremy to propose to her on a dinner date but he gives her a gift instead, after which he travels to Dublin for his work. Anna thinks he is the one for her and decides to take matters into her own hands. Anna decides to meet him in Dublin on the February 29th and propose to him in accordance with an old Irish folklore tradition from the Fifth Century of leap-year proposals by women where the man has no other choice but to accept the woman's proposal. However, her airplane is forced to land in Wales due to bad weather and she is not able to find a connection since the Dublin airport is closed. She decides to travel on a small boat but is forced to disembark in Dingle due to a storm. Anna walks to the only restaurant and inn and hires the unfriendly owner Declan (Matthew Goode) to drive her to Dublin. Declan agrees to drive her as he needs the money to pay off his debts and save his inn. They go on an adventure together which will make a lasting impression on both of them.

After Declan's car was jeopardized by Anna, he had no reason to go along with her, but the director makes him follow Anna wherever she goes. That was just stupid; we know he doesn't have any feelings for her, other than contempt. He could have taken the money for the car and just left, which wouldn't make much of a story to begin with. See, that is the problem with this movie, it doesn't have a good enough story to move forward. The director tries too hard to move the plot forward and Amy Adams is a good actor, but she is wasted here. She didn't have to do this movie as it won't propel her career forward. But we now know that Amy Adams is not afraid to get down and dirty, she is very good in the movie. Declan's character is a guy who doesn't like women, so he behaves like a jerk towards Anna. The problem is Matthew Goode is too laid back right till the end and isn't very likable, unlike Amy Adams' Anna. As always in romantic movies, the ending is too predictable and everyone can guess who Anna will be with in the end. The scenic locations, excellent camera-work and background score make this quite a good watch.

6/10

Where do I start?? Oh yes, why do Americans always portray ALL Irish people as backward, smelly, Guinness guzzling, tractor driving, mumbling smelly farmers that wear tweed hats and knitted jumpers. Oh yes... and the mobile phone invention hasn't reached Ireland yet either by all accounts. Public transport is a bit of a disaster too you know! And why would the 'cool Irish guy' EVER go for an annoying, materialistic, American girl? Why does that always happen in these stupid films too? This film is so disgustingly predictable. I do like the occasional 'Rom Com' (I hate that word!) but this is dire, diabolical drivel at it's best! The groaning continued long after the film ended. And the thing that gets me....most people on this website loved it. Dear God...