Movies Reviews

Movie Review: A Previous Engagement

By Maura Reilly May 10, 2008, 12:53 GMT

Don’t you wish there were more romantic comedies about women over forty? Well you’ve got MAMA MIA coming out this summer but for those of you who can’t wait writer-director Joan Carr-Wiggin has just the ticket. Her film is opening in limited release this Friday and promises to be a fun romp in the Mediterranean – but without the ABBA songs.

A PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENT is about a married librarian from Seattle, Julia (Juliet Stevenson) who has brought her tiresome husband Jack (Daniel Stern) to Malta with an ulterior motive. She made a date with her first love Alex (Tcheky Karyo) twenty-five years previously, after one night of intense passion, to reunite in the future and revisit their romance. This is all completely out of character behavior for the normally complacent Julia. To her shock and delight Alex has kept the date and is eager to pick up where they left off on that beach so long ago. Finding out the true reason for their vacation, something awakens in Jack, something primal and exciting and he seeks an island adventure of his own.Julia is torn between the reality of family and the regret of making choices in her youth that were contrary to who she was at the time. But is it Alex or her true self that she wants to discover again?The cast is first rate. Stevenson shines as the confused Juliet (a part written specifically with the actress in mind). So many women are going to identify with the richly layered character. Karyo makes Alex a wonderful mix of charm, uncertainty and flaws. You’d never expect to see him in a romantic comedy but there he is and he’s genuinely funny. Another actor who hasn’t had too many opportunities to show his Cary Grant side is Daniel Stern. Jack has a nice arc in the film: going from the boring, puzzle-obsessed insurance sales man to a suave seducer of women. Valerie Mahaffey sparkles as Grace, the devil may care divorcee and Jack’s dance partner. There’s a whole lot to like in this movie. The story has a universal appeal for anyone who has wondered what it would have been like if you’d just done that one thing differently. The recognizable Reynolds family – in particular the two high maintenance daughters – provide much comedy. Stevenson has some great funny moments herself when she has to deal with a with a reluctant hotel clerk. But as ridiculous as these people can behave they are very much rooted in honest thoughts and feelings. An intelligent, funny adult romantic comedy: who would have thought it?
A PREVIOUS ENGAGEMENT
Running Time: 118 minutes
Opens in limited release: NYC and LA May 9, 2008; wider starting May 16, 2008
MPAA Rated: no rating

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