Alex and Emma
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some language.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
Take two popular young actors. Throw them together in an unlikely situation. And wait for the comedic romance to unfold. Advertised as being from the director of 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally,” “Alex and Emma” is the first movie Rob Reiner has directed in four years. Will it live up to his string of hits from the 80s and 90s?
The Story
Alex (Luke Wilson) is a successful but broke novelist who owes the Cuban mafia $100,000. He’ll have enough to cover it if he can finish his second novel in 30 days. The problem is he hasn’t started the book.
Emma (Kate Hudson) is the stenographer Alex hires so that he can move through the book quickly by dictating it out loud to her in his run-down apartment. At first reluctant, Emma agrees to take the job because she’s curious about the process of writing a book.
While the two work away in the apartment, we also follow the action in the developing book about life on an upscale New England island in the 1920s. Adam (Luke Wilson) is a tutor hired by the beautiful Polina Delacroix (Sophie Marceau) to teach her two children. Adam falls for the Polina, but she’s most interested in the wealth of a Mr. John Shaw (David Paymer).
Adam also befriends the ever-changing nanny, played in all her variations by Kate Hudson. The eternal question, as with all romance, is who Adam (and Alex) will end up with at the end of the book.
The Verdict
Because of the previews and advertising for “Alex and Emma,” one can’t help comparing it to Reiner’s “When Harry Met Sally.” Unfortunately, “A&E” doesn’t ever come close to that very funny and downright romantic film. Instead, it feels like a cheap tribute to the earlier film. Maybe the best that can be said for “Alex” is what I heard from many of the women on the way out of my screening: it’s cute.
Okay, it’s also occasionally clever and there are a few chuckles to be had, but the movie mostly just didn’t work for me. There’s very little action, and lots of long, clichéd speeches about romance and love and character development. The storyline is just played for the silly, and it’s not funny enough to work on that level.
I’m not a big fan of Luke Wilson, who doesn’t seem to act so much as just read his lines and twist up his forehead. Kate Hudson is very cute, as always, but the chemistry between her and Wilson didn’t convince me.
Mostly, the movie just drags along. Lots of the comedy bits fall flat. Still, true lovers of romance might buy into the inevitable ending enough to get some warm fuzzies from it. If nothing else, they’ll think it was cute.
The PG-13 rating comes from some bad language and one extended sex scene in the world of the book played for laughs (but including a couple in lots of different positions seen in silhouette and making lots of noises). In all, three couplings between unmarried people occur both in and outside of the book.
Worldview
The message of the movie is straight off of every TV sitcom that ever involved a single man. Alex is afraid to commit. He’s been holding out for a fantasy woman instead of finding real love with a real woman—someone he can “do the laundry” with, according to Emma.
The Bible gives Christians very little direction on the process of picking a spouse. Other than instructions not to be united with non-Christians and to look for a man or woman of godly character, it leaves the choosing up to us. But true love doesn’t start until the “I do’s” when a couple commits to each other for life. Before he or she is ready to move toward marriage, the Bible teaches that Christians should avoid commitment and intimacy with the opposite sex.
However, many Christians also buy the Hollywood deception that marriage should be some kind of heaven on earth with a near-perfect fantasy spouse who will “complete you.” It might be more accurate to think of marriage as a life-long ministry of service to a person just as flawed as you are. I know that sounds less romantic, but the truth is that kind of commitment between two imperfect people is about as romantic as it gets.
Discussion Questions
• Did “Alex and Emma” work for you?
• Are you a fan of Luke Wilson? How about Kate Hudson? What are some of your favorite movies starring one or the other?
• What are some of the best romantic comedies you’ve seen?
• When do you think you’ll be ready to move toward getting married? What is your approach to relationships with the opposite sex until then?
• How would you define “romance” and “marriage” in 25 words or less?
Let us know what you thought of this review!
