Review: Marry Me (2010)

Unfortunately, this is one romantic comedy that condones everything we should avoid in romantic relationships but, still... imperfections and all, I see it has heart, and I thought it was as cute and snappy as it could be.

The fairy-tale life – romance and marriage is all Rae Carter (Lucy Liu) ever wanted… and yet it seems just out of her grasp. Her committed relationship with the person she thought was the man of her dreams has just fizzled out. He has a big job opportunity, and so, Rae is giving him an ultimatum – choose his career (which just happens to involve photographing frogs) or her… he chooses the first option and Rae finds her ideas of relationships and marriage shaken. As an artistic soul, Rae has a very romantic view of life in general. Instead of pursuing dreams, she is a dedicated social worker whose belief in love hasn’t changed, but made her more cautious, which is why she finds it suspect that the guy her former family pastor insists is wonderful is still single. Eventually she begins seeing the pastor’s nephew...

The handsome Luke (Steven Pasquale) is an easy-going gentleman who meshes with Rae’s sensibilities. Being creative himself and working as an architect, Luke is instantly drawn to Rae, and determines she is going to be Mrs. Maynard – so convinced in fact that he proposes after their barely-first-date, and it isn’t a pretend one: he’s quite serious! Despite her best efforts, Rae falls head over heels in love with Luke – and it turns out, that feeling is mutual. Her whirlwind romance soon turns into an almost-engagement, only there is just one tiny flaw in her almost-happily-ever-after scenario: ex-boyfriend Adam (Bobby Cannavale) re-appears in her life, determined to win her back. Just when things couldn’t get any more complicated, Luke’s best friend, the charming and wealthy Harry (Enrique Murciano) becomes smitten with Rae – Harry might have the bank account to sweep Rae off her feet, but she knows his type, and she doesn’t want a world-traveler with a Peter Pan complex.

More confused than ever, Rae must learn to follow her heart, otherwise she may end up without Mr. Right… or maybe her heart – and logic – is telling her not a one of the three men vying for her attentions is right for her. Is her true love right in front of her or isn’t he?

A Lifetime miniseries event that aired early last year, this romantic comedy is one hilarious piece of film-making! I laughed so hard through the entire thing, and am already anticipating seeing it again in the not-too-distant future. The movie starts out a bit rough for reasons I cannot peg – it just doesn’t dazzle until a good fifteen to twenty minutes in. That is when the humor settles into a natural groove and the viewers become engrossed in the lives of Rae, her crazy perfectly-proper Southern family and the three men who enter Rae’s life – even if we do feel like reaching through the screen and shaking some of these characters until they come to their senses. After all, not everything can be perfect… even in Hollywood.

Despite an unrealistic premise, I thought the film remained grounded in reality – and I realize what a contradiction that is. (Three guys proposing to the same woman in a span of so many days… yeah, I don’t think so – and two of them barely knew her!) Somehow the unfolding scenes are believable, and sometimes very relatable, as is the dialogue. Having said that, I thought the script was whip-smart. Apart from the opening few minutes, it never seemed to miss a single beat. Rae’s first meeting with Luke is filled with great humor not to mention a litany of confusing quips that is nothing if not insanely humorous – this scene displays what “good” humor should be. (And, Rae telling Luke to “drop dead” after his marriage proposal was priceless.) The characters are richly drawn with complex and real “problems” without seeming like a broken record – and I liked that. Credited cast makes for convincing characters and while, obviously someone thought the leading men were swoon-worthy, there was only one dude that I thought was good-looking. Supporting characters are phenomenal, including Rae’s parents (Annie Potts, David Andrews – totally remember him from JAG) but no one is more fantastic than the very talented Vanessa Marano. She commands the screen as the young spit-fire foster child who Rae has grown fond of. Her easy banter and well-placed barbs entice nothing less than a laugh-out-loud reaction; her part may be small in comparison, but without her, the movie wouldn’t have been nearly as amusing.

Just because I haven’t mentioned many flaws yet doesn’t mean the movie is without its issues. Rae’s character is deeply flawed, and that isn’t a “bad” thing as regards human nature but when it’s linked to choosing a mate, it actually is very much so. Her indecisiveness is carried to an extreme – seriously if you are that confused, you shouldn’t be marrying anyone right now. In retrospect, writers do everything but spell it out who Rae is going to end up with, so I cannot fault Rae’s attitude a lot, but still… she takes the meaning of the word “indecision” to a whole new level. Additionally, she is willing to fall into bed with someone else before she has even come to terms with her broken engagement – that says something very uncomplimentary about our heroine. Pettiness aside, this was a really entertaining three-hour movie. I had seen Lifetime’s prior production also, and while I did love it, I think it dealt with and used less restraint in its content. If you like romantic comedies, get a hold of this sweet tele-film. Not everything about it was ideal for my “perfect” romance, but I liked Marry Me too well to let the bad outweigh the good. This is nothing but a fluffy, sappy, cute way to spend a chunk of time – and I dare you to say otherwise.*grin*

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(Cautions: even though this one was on TV, it was likely rated “TV14,” which equals a PG13-rating: the content is definitely “adult.” One couple refers to having sex as the “magic” date; when they do finally get to that point in their relationship, there is some removal of clothing before the camera cuts away to Rae leaving the hotel. Various suggestive remarks litter the script as do the rare few profanities. A man cheats on his wife – they “work” things out.) 

Categories: Comedy, Lifetime TV, Miniseries, Movie, Review, Romance

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