Hopelessly Devoted to Whom?
DreamWorks' Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! is the type of clever, breezy romance that Hollywood used to make without much fuss. While director Robert Luketic's second feature is brilliant compared with today's predominantly idiotic comedies, like his comparably infectious debut Legally Blonde, it is actually light romantic comedy done well.
When all-American actor Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel) is caught off-screen being a playboy, his manager (Sean Hayes) and agent (Nathan Lane) concoct the movie title's contest as a means of restoring their client's good guy image. Enter lovely Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) as the small-town girl who wins the fairy tale date.
Bosworth's good-natured girl-next-door works at the Piggly Wiggly grocery market with her lifelong friends Pete (Topher Grace) and Cathy (Ginnifer Goodwin). When her honesty turns empty-headed Tad into a serious suitor, pal Pete, who has been in love with her since childhood, must finally confess his feelings or lose her forever.
Will Pete come clean? Whom will Rosalee choose: the Hollywood hunk or Piggly Wiggly's manager and her longtime friend? Tad Hamilton! keeps the answers a tossup—at least for a while. Luketic's timing, use of bright colors and straightforward style strengthen screenwriter Victor Levin's simple plot.
Luketic mocks both small town folksiness and Hollywood while also essentializing their ideals. The dichotomy keeps the two men's courtship of Rosalee engaging. The young cast is having such a good time that even a predictable ending leaves a smile. Duhamel struts his stuff capably as a stereotypical actor: big, dumb, handsome and shallow. Bosworth and Grace also shine.
There are a few faults, such as Goodwin's undeveloped character, Sean Hayes's non sequitur scenes and the fact that an intelligent, sexy leading young lady apparently has no goals beyond the Piggly Wiggly. Still, the pleasure of watching smart, good-looking young adults struggle with their values and their choices is a welcome departure from the usual spit-fart-and-heave routine.
Given the proliferation of bait-and-switch movie marketing, credit goes to the DreamWorks's marketing people for matching the movie to the ad campaign. The cute ads do what ads ought to: predispose the audience to the movie while making it seem irresistible.
With Legally Blonde, Luketic rejoiced in the triumph of femininity over feminism. With Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, he offers a contagiously cheerful affirmation that love can be real, rewarding and larger than life.
DVD Notes
This piece of fluff is treated to a DVD with an alternate opening and a suite of 15 deleted scenes, nearly every one of which complements the final cut, injecting more of the same benevolent humor found in the movie. But each snippet is deservedly deleted, especially vacant Paris Hilton's scenes, which are too tawdry for Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!'s light tone. Also included: a gag reel and a photo gallery.
When all-American actor Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel) is caught off-screen being a playboy, his manager (Sean Hayes) and agent (Nathan Lane) concoct the movie title's contest as a means of restoring their client's good guy image. Enter lovely Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) as the small-town girl who wins the fairy tale date.
Bosworth's good-natured girl-next-door works at the Piggly Wiggly grocery market with her lifelong friends Pete (Topher Grace) and Cathy (Ginnifer Goodwin). When her honesty turns empty-headed Tad into a serious suitor, pal Pete, who has been in love with her since childhood, must finally confess his feelings or lose her forever.
Will Pete come clean? Whom will Rosalee choose: the Hollywood hunk or Piggly Wiggly's manager and her longtime friend? Tad Hamilton! keeps the answers a tossup—at least for a while. Luketic's timing, use of bright colors and straightforward style strengthen screenwriter Victor Levin's simple plot.
Luketic mocks both small town folksiness and Hollywood while also essentializing their ideals. The dichotomy keeps the two men's courtship of Rosalee engaging. The young cast is having such a good time that even a predictable ending leaves a smile. Duhamel struts his stuff capably as a stereotypical actor: big, dumb, handsome and shallow. Bosworth and Grace also shine.
There are a few faults, such as Goodwin's undeveloped character, Sean Hayes's non sequitur scenes and the fact that an intelligent, sexy leading young lady apparently has no goals beyond the Piggly Wiggly. Still, the pleasure of watching smart, good-looking young adults struggle with their values and their choices is a welcome departure from the usual spit-fart-and-heave routine.
Given the proliferation of bait-and-switch movie marketing, credit goes to the DreamWorks's marketing people for matching the movie to the ad campaign. The cute ads do what ads ought to: predispose the audience to the movie while making it seem irresistible.
With Legally Blonde, Luketic rejoiced in the triumph of femininity over feminism. With Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, he offers a contagiously cheerful affirmation that love can be real, rewarding and larger than life.
DVD Notes
This piece of fluff is treated to a DVD with an alternate opening and a suite of 15 deleted scenes, nearly every one of which complements the final cut, injecting more of the same benevolent humor found in the movie. But each snippet is deservedly deleted, especially vacant Paris Hilton's scenes, which are too tawdry for Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!'s light tone. Also included: a gag reel and a photo gallery.
