I just watched this film for the fourth or fifth time and was reminded why I like to revisit it each Christmas season. It first caught my eye as a movie that my girlfriend's young daughter would enjoy and that might have something for her mom and me as well. But it turned out that this movie isn't about puppies, and I wonder if it might have found a larger audience if it had not been presented as a "family" film. It's more like a Hallmark romantic comedy, but with much better acting. In that regard, Julie Gonzalo is luminous, but she's not just a pretty face. I was impressed with her acting and prompted to check out her other credits. The other acting highlights for me were Alley Mills and Alexandra Peters, the latter being a rarity: a child actor who could really act. These three ladies all made me feel like I was eavesdropping on real people having real conversations. There are a couple of morals to this story, but the one I like best comes from Aunt Pearl, whom we never meet: A gift without a big price tag can be priceless, and rich are the ones who realize it.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Sex Drive
(2008)
Not A Sure Thing
13 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I had to read through quite a few comments until I found that someone else recognized this as an updated version of The Sure Thing. Josh Zuckerman is likable in the John Cusack role, as is Amanda Crew standing in for Daphne Zuniga, but Clark Duke was less convincing as best friend and lothario, Lance, than was Anthony Edwards in the 1985 film, and I prefer Nicollette Sheridan as the "sure thing" going through her "experimental phase" to Katrina Bowden's more sinister "Tasty." I gave the older film 9 stars for better (and funnier) writing, Cusack's comedic touches (many of them improvised), Rob Reiner's talented direction, and an array of far more interesting and memorable secondary characters. I enjoyed Sex Drive more as an homage to the '85 "classic" than as a stand-alone film. See them both and compare, but if you only see one, go with The Sure Thing.
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