Must Love Dogs

Yes, I’m soldiering on with the John Cusack Challenge (No 27 on the 101 List) which has led me on a curve ball from  intense dramas about hitler and back to Cusack’s stalwart Rom Com territory. In ‘Must Love Dogs’, Sarah is an early 40s something (or late 30 something?) recent divorcee with an interfering family who feel she has to be set up with every single guy they know. Her interfering sisters go one stage further and put her on perfectmatch.com and hilarity (we are led to believe) ensues. A few distastrous dates follow – John Cusack’s Jake included – until we meander around a few plot devices and rival ‘love interest’ Dermot Mulroney to the film’s inevitable and predictable conclusion.

To be honest, it wasn’t that bad. I love Diane Lane and she does a wonderful job of keeping the comedy and drama in equal portion, however the characterisation does lead her into some rather extraordinary decisions and her actions at the end extremely cheesy and very un-believeably (in my opinion) Bridget Jones-like finale. Cusack does a fine job, but he doesn’t seem to be too stretched in this movie. Plus his quirky balance between depressed divorcee and hopeless Dr Zhivago-watching lovespick puppy don’t really gel very well. Are we really meant to believe his jaded view sits well with him falling so hard for Sarah so quickly?

Supporing cast do a great job – Christopher Plummer and Stockard Channing and token best friend Elizabth Perkins as the most interfering sister. However, Jake’s best friend and lawyer is quite an unlikeable character full of cliches and goes just a little bit over the top trying to steer his supposedly best friend into a seedy underworld of easy girls.

All in all, not one of the best rom coms, but also not one of the worst. Predicatble but a fairly good turn by Lane and Cusack is in full cute loveable super-boyfriend mode.

Best moment: The scene where Jake (Cusack) earns the nickname ‘Condom Man’.

Worst: End scene in the lake – where is your pride, woman?

Here’s the trailer: