Leap Year

3 stars

Rating: PG
Stars: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Jeremy Adam Scott

What’s the story?
Real-estate stager Anna (Adams) is a wide-eyed, organized woman who has been waiting four years for her career-oriented cardiologist boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) to propose. When the little black box he gives her turns out to be a disappointing pair of earrings, she decides to fulfill an old Irish tradition that says a woman is allowed to propose to a man on Leap Day. Anna trails Jeremy to a medical meeting in Dublin, but when bad weather reroutes her flight, she ends up in Wales where she soon finds herself in the hands of Declan (Goode), a scruffy-sweet Irish pub owner who is now her ride to Dublin. The two bicker their way through countrysides, missed trains and try their best not to deny the attraction between them.

Why see it?
Leap Year is your typical romantic comedy where the lead couple pretends they don’t like each other, which convinces the audience that they are meant to be together. Adams and Goode do an excellent job of entertaining on their trek to Dublin as their ridiculous arguments and comebacks become the main source of comedy for the audience. Their different reactions to disparities (such as overcoming roadblocks in the form of cows and accidentally crashing a wedding) are designed to make us chuckle – and they do just that. With two very likable characters on a train straight to happily ever after, romantics should make haste to Leap Year.

Problems?
Chick-flick lovers are usually able to giggle and gush their way through clichés without noticing, but for those who aren’t too fond of the typical rom-com cheese and so-called surprises, this isn’t the movie for you. Although the characters are likable, the plot is boring and predictable, and what starts off as fresh, crisp dialogue falls flat through repetition.

All in all:
A comfy romantic comedy that takes you everywhere you’d expect to go.