Starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor this is a wonderfully scripted romantic comedy that I think most people will find to be a breath of fresh air. Set in 1962 in New York City the story is a classic boy and girl love story that does not just stick to the same old cat and mouse story of romantic love, there are twists and turns with smart dialogue and scene development that is both entertaining and meaningful throughout the entire film.
The story revolves around a couple of writers, Barbara Novak (Zellweger) and Catcher Block (McGregor) that start a battle when Catcher's female escapades keep him from interviewing Barbara about her new book until she will no longer meet with him for the interview at all. David Hyde Pierce plays Peter MacMannus, Catcher Block's boss and friend who is sweet, gentlemanly, and insecure about dating women. Sarah Paulson plays Vicki Hiller, Barbara's editor at Banner House Publishing; a workplace where the male editors treat Vicki as though she were their secretary. This core cast of characters keeps your laughing from the beginning of the film to the end in an array of farces that are both comical and campy.
Barbara Novak; a rural country girl that has come to New York to publish her first book Down with Love'; the book is about how women can become socially and financially independent from men in a few simple steps. The book gets a massive response from women after an airing on the Ed Sullivan show and it changes the way that women look at their roles within society. This causes a big problem for Catcher Block a charming playboy that works for a men's magazine called KNOW; he is a star reporter that is never in need of a story, and when Barbara refuses an interview with him he is both surprised and annoyed, but more than that, the women that he has been dating have been reading her book and no longer want to date him. What ensues is a smart, funny, and endearing romantic comedy that is fun for everyone.
The screenplay is well done in dialogue and set placement, the innuendos are sexually pointed, yet they play a key role in the charm of the film. The set up for some of the cut together scenes where Barbara and Catcher are on the phone are also very well done and plays a whimsically key role in the story between the two main characters and how they communicate.
The costumes and sets are both beautiful and colorful; taking us back to a moment in time where life was a bit simpler and the roles of men and women were a lot different. Bright and magical colors fill the screen in almost every scene, along with some of the best music from the time which adds to the nostalgia of the film.
With outstanding performances by Paulson and Pierce, and wonderful supporting characters such as Theodore Banner owner of Banner Publishing, played by Tony Randall, the film is a tribute to other movies like Pillow Talk', but is also a great reminder of the type of movie that use to be a standard in the film industry.
Down With Love' is by far one of the wittiest and charming romantic comedies ever made. Clever dialogue, beautiful sets, enchanting costumes, and a captivating soundtrack, makes this film a testament to simpler times and is just a good fun for everyone.