another little gem of a movie: jack and sarah

Jack and Sarah is the kind of pleasant surprise of a movie that happens when you have a pretty basic and familiar rom-com script, but populate it with fabulous actors. Originally released in 1995, it was written and directed by British television director Tim Sullivan (The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Coronation Street), and it is apparent that it was a labor of love:

"It took Sullivan four years to make Jack and Sarah, which germinated from an experience he had when working as a director at Granada TV. 'A friend of mine's childcare arrangements broke down and his wife was away, so he brought his six-month-old baby into work,' he says. 'Until that day he had been just an ordinary bloke, but suddenly he was the centre of attention — particularly with the women. And of course, one of the first things they did was take the child off him, as though he couldn't cope. 

Jack works out how to bathe Sarah

"It just amused me — as did the fact that he immediately seemed to become more attractive to women. If you start from the basis that all men are inherently shits — which many women believe and I do myself — when you see one with a baby, he seems more vulnerable and almost like an exception to the rule. Which he isn't." — The Independent

As the story begins Jack (Richard E. Grant) and Sarah (Imogen Stubbs) are about to have a baby. Jack is a rather self-absorbed lawyer who is thrown for a loop when Sarah tragically dies in childbirth. He goes on a bender, leaving his judgmental and disapproving mother (Judi Dench) and harried father and Sarah's mother (Eileen Atkins) to care for the baby. The grandparents team up and practice some tough love, soon leaving the baby with Jack and forcing him to step up to the plate, which he does, for the most part. But when bringing little baby Sarah (who he couldn't help but name after her mother in his grief) to work with him proves problematic, he begins to search for a nanny. Enter American Amy (Samantha Mathis), who knows nothing about childcare, but forms an immediate bond with the baby girl — and maybe her father, too. Rounding out the stellar cast are Cherie Lunghi as Jack's boss and Ian McKellen as an ersatz local wino turned butler/best friend/babysitter.

Amy (Samantha Mathis) changes Sarah's diaper as her two grandmothers (Eileen Atkins and Judi Dench) and William (Ian McKellen) supervise

Sarah and Amy

The London setting adds another dimension to the story. Jack may be a lawyer, but his flat and neighborhood are artsy — full of light and space and in an interesting area. I felt like I wasn't just watching a story but spending time with some people I like, much like the Notting Hill (where some of this film was shot). Jack and Sarah is not your typical romantic comedy, and that's very good, indeed.

dvr quick takes

On a rainy day I caught up with some movies that I had missed or never even heard of before. Here are some quick takes:

The perfect movie to watch while you are deep-cleaning your carpet:

Cameron Diaz gets ready to greet the day

Bad Teacher (2011). It's not horrible, but it's not good. Jason Segel is always a welcome presence and Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, and Lucy Punch have fun with their bad roles, but if you miss some dialogue while you are running the cleaner back and forth you won't really be missing much.

The perfect movie to watch when you are hungry, but you might have to pause it and whip up something in the kitchen, especially the chef's magical trifle dessert:

Dougray Scott serves up a trifle like no other

Love's Kitchen (2011). It's a slight romantic comedy featuring a chef (Dougray Scott) and a restaurant critic (Claire Forlani) who fall in love. Scott and Forlani are a real-life couple, and have undeniable chemistry. The setting and supporting players are great (Simon Callow, Peter Bowles, Caroline Langrishe, Cherie Lunghi), but it all has a made-for-TV quality and the script really isn't up to the actors. Still, it's fun to watch. And Gordon Ramsay even makes an appearance. It's the sort of movie you watch and wait for it to get better, for things to come together, but it never quite does.

The perfect movie to watch when fantasizing about having a romantic liaison at Lake Como:

Antonio Banderas and Liam Neeson contemplate their next move

The Other Man (2008). Liam Neeson discovers that his wife, shoe designer Laura Linney, has been having an affair with another man (Antonio Banderas). Although his daughter (Romola Garai) cautions him not to, he decides to track down the man where he lives, in Milan, and get some answers. The acting again is excellent, as are the Italian locations. But the editing is deliberately confusing, trying for an arty effect at telling the story of a love triangle out of chronological order. It undercuts the performances rather than giving them more meaning. Still, it's worth a look, especially for the one-on-ones between Neeson and Banderas.