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Review by: Jack Foley | Rating:
One
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Commentary with director/writer Marc
Lawrence, Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant; HBO First Look Special
(13 mins); Additional scenes (6 mins); Trailer; Interactive menus;
Scene access.
HUGH Grant and Sandra Bullock claim to have been waiting five
years to make a film together; sadly, the wait has not been worth
it.
Two Weeks Notice is an unfunny and predictable affair which strives
to recreate the on-screen chemistry of the likes of Katharine
Hepburn and Spencer Tracy without ever coming close.
Writer-director Marc Lawrence’s movie is designed as a feelgood
romantic comedy to rival the best of them, as well as being a
picturesque tribute to the city of New York; but while the Big
Apple emerges as romantic as ever, the film itself is a lacklustre
affair, which misfires from start to finish.
Bullock stars as keen environmentalist and lawyer, Lucy Kelon,
who reluctantly agrees to become the new Chief Counsel of Grant’s
millionaire, George Wade, when he promises not to demolish her
neighbourhood’s community centre if she will do so.
Quickly developing an impeccable reputation, it isn’t long
before Lucy is servicing George’s every whim, from divorce
settlements to choosing the colour of his tie, and is eventually
forced to give two weeks notice in a bid to get her life back
together again.
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But the move forces the self-centred George to confront his feelings
for her and the relationship they have developed, prompting the
inevitable countdown to the moment they realise they are both
in love.
Lawrence’s movie is the type which, on the surface, looks
like a sure thing. Grant has a proven track record of successful
rom-coms, as does Bullock, while the story bears all the hallmarks
of the classic ‘opposites attract’ scenario.
It is all the more disappointing, therefore, that proceedings
fail to click. Bullock, especially, must shoulder a lot of the
blame, taking her trademark kookiness to new extremes and becoming
quite irritating as a result, while Grant seems unsure whether
to stick to his newfound cad image (which helped to make Bridget
Jones and About A Boy
so enjoyable), or to mix in a little of the foppish charm of Four
Weddings and a Funeral, and comes over a little confused as a
result.
But then Lawrence’s drab script offers nothing for the cast
to work with and contains very few laughs throughout, desperately
relying on formulaic plot twists and the chemistry between its
two stars.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, when George is forced to announce
his feelings for Lucy in front of an office full of legal aid
lawyers (in a scene ripped straight out of Jerry
Maguire), while the couple’s big moment of realisation
comes during a toilet rush. It appears creativity has hit the
fan.
Fans of the Big Apple may derive some satisfaction from the numerous
shots of the city which help to break up proceedings, but all
in all, this is one New York-based affair to forget.
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