Neil Young's Film Lounge

Neil Young’s Film Lounge – Animal Attraction

ANIMAL ATTRACTION
(aka SOMEONE LIKE YOU)

4/10

US 2001
director : Tony Goldwyn
script : Elizabeth Chandler (based on novel Animal Husbandry by Laura Zigman)
cinematography : Anthony B Richmond
editing : Dana Congdon
music : Rolfe Kent
lead actors : Ashley Judd, Hugh Jackman, Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei
97 minutes

Sub-Sex and the City romantic fare, with Judd as a lovelorn Manhattanite dithering between a Mr-Nice-who-turns-out-to-be-not-so-nice (Kinnear, of course) and a Mr-Nasty-who-turns-out-blah-blah-blah (X-Man Jackman) The limp twist has Judd developing theories of male behaviour based on the breeding habits of cows – this might work on the page (the movies based on novel Animal Husbandry by Laura Zigman) but on the big screen its a gimmick that unduly complicates an otherwise undemanding, well-played, inoffensive little date-movie. Released as Someone Like You in the States, the picture stiffed and no wonder towards the end the cow theory gets out of hand, the pacing goes out the window and the climax bogs down into tedium. And if Jackman must play a beer-swilling macho asshole, why make him drop his stralian accent?

For a more in depth review please click here

July 10^th, 2001
(seen 10-Jul-01, UCI, MetroCentre, Gateshead)

by Neil Young

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