Down With Love
• Romantic Comedies
When Down With Love was announced as a homage to the old Doris Day, Rock Hudson romantic comedies of my childhood I never expected to watch it. Attempts to recreate the popular culture of a time always seem to me to fail. The originals virtues and failings are usually rooted in the period of production. Attempt to recycle them result in unsatisfying, ersatz entertainment product.
I saw enough praise to finally send for the DVD. My initial reaction was right.
The good qualities of the film are in the minor stuff. Details of scenes, the pastel colors, casting David Hyde-Pierce in the Tony Randall role of neurotic best pal of the male lead.
But the lead actors themselves struck me as just plain awful. Too narrow: no breadth of quality. The male star was just a cad, no more. Nor did the female exhibit more depth.
Day and Hudson I think had both more likeability and depth. Depth is probably not the right word. They had personas that made watching them go through the motions more fun. And I’m doing my best to overcome any biases of nostalgia.
I couldn’t really decide if it was the actors or the script. If, say, with Hugh Grant and Reece Witherspoon, I’d have enjoyed the movies more.