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There's little to nothing funny about this. It's so damned consistently unfunny, without development (it’s like a glacier; it just keeps pile-driving) you can hardly tolerate it. You're left feeling vexed from this overly excruciating piece of celluloid. Brooks and Monica Johnson's script seems to out-Woody Woody Allen, while Brooks pretends not to be Jewish (character name: Robert Cole). Brooks' kvetching about why she's not home, who she's dating, how it's possible for her to be dating so soon after they just broke up, who she's calling in New York, why she has to work so late, how her nipples show through her sweater, how her dresses are too revealing for everyone in her office to see, why she has to go to dinner with prospective clients, etc., just about nearly wears through your nerves. It's annoying, frustrating, uninteresting, boring. I nearly walked out at the 40-minute mark, but I stuck with it hoping for better developments. I ended up with maybe three or four chuckles. The only scene that I could honestly call funny, or slightly entertaining was during the editing process and running of sound clips. ("The Incredible Hulk" walking vs. "The Incredible Hulk" screaming.) How could someone of Robert Cole's caliber of neurosis even function? And the end titles of, "Three weeks later they were married [sic] A month later they divorced [sic] Now they are dating with plans to remarry," is no more funny than the rest. To Brooks' credit, the compositions and long takes were decent, as was the editing. The rest (besides a couple of in-jokes and cameos) is intolerable.

Final Verdict: F.

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originally posted: 11/14/00 10:40:12
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