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Allen MacDonald
“Kate & Leopold” was better than I expected, yet not as good as it
could’ve been.
The premise smelled like a stinker: Leopold (Hugh Jackman) is an 1880s
New York City Duke who accidentally falls through a time portal into
modern day Manhattan. Kate (Meg Ryan) is the career-driven, but
love-starved woman he falls in love with.
I suspected it would play like most high-concept fluff, but was
pleasantly surprised how rich and textured “Kate & Leopold” turned out to
be.
Director James Mangold always does standout work, so I shouldn’t have
been surprised he squeezed so many true moments of human emotion out of
such a tired premise. He is especially gifted with a natural ear for
dialogue that imbues his characters with distinct, well-rounded
personalities; we know who they are by what they say, but also by what
they don’t.
Still, “Kate & Leopold” could’ve gone deeper emotionally. Mangold has
clearly decided to play it safe here; he seems torn between a desire to
remain loyal to his independent roots while still trying to deliver the
big studio crowd pleaser. That’s a shame since excavating emotion is
something Mangold has a talent for.
Anyone who saw Mangold’s three previous films (“Heavy,” “CopLand” &
“Girl, Interrupted”) knows he’s just skimming the surface this time out.
“Kate & Leopold” has difficulty maintaining momentum. I checked my
watch twice -- not a good sign.
The plot meanders. Rather than each scene building on the next, “Kate
& Leopold” feels like a series of mildly entertaining events loosely
connected by a weak story thread. I wish Mangold had cut out the fat and
tightened things up.
One character, Kate’s ex-boyfriend Stuart (Liev Schreiber), feels
unnaturally forced into the story. You know Stuart will play an important
role in the final act, so there’s no real tension to what happens to him
in the interim. It ends up feeling implausible and just plain silly.
Jackman proves once again that he’s a powerful screen presence. His
charm drips off the screen. Ryan is her usual, lovable self. She has the
monopoly on romantic comedies, so she knows how to hit the right notes,
but she doesn’t give us anything new.
“Kate & Leopold” isn’t a must-see event, but it gets an “A” for
effort.* ALLEN MacDONALD, 28, is currently working toward his master’s
degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
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