2008 Woodie Awards
'Catch and Release'
Comedy will keep you laughing
Jessi Shores
Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Gray Wheeler (Jennifer Garner) is a young woman who has to deal with the unexpected death of her fiancé, Grady, right before their wedding.
The movie opens in Boulder, Colo., with the funeral for Grady, rather than the wedding that Gray had imagined. As Gray's plans fall apart and she is running low on cash, she has to move in with her two close friends, who also were Grady's roommates, Sam (Kevin Smith) and Dennis (Sam Jaeger).
Gray also finds herself having to be in the presence of a man that she cannot stand, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), who is a director from L.A. and was one of Grady's best friends. Fritz decides to stick around for a while after the funeral.
As the plot unfolds, Gray finds out that Grady's death isn't the only unanticipated event she is going to have to deal with. Grady seems to have led a secret life that Gray had no idea about, which will bring Maureen (Juliette Lewis) and young Mattie (Joshua Friesen) into the picture. Gray also begins spending more time with Fritz and discovers that he isn't who she thought he was.
Screenwriter Susannah Grant already has the movies Erin Brockovich and In Her Shoes under her belt, but this was her first shot at directing. For her first attempt, she did a quality job.
The movie is a typical "chick-flick" romance with a pretty predictable outcome. The relationship between Gray and Fritz is sweet but seems to develop too quickly, and it isn't quite clear why Gray falls for the character who appears unappealing in the beginning.
Fritz seems to instantly evolve into a nice guy just as quickly as his relationship with Gray develops.
Dennis is the "nice guy" you feel sorry for because he never seems to get what he wants. Sam will keep you laughing throughout the movie, and he is a character everyone can love. Maureen adds a little spice to the film, and Gray also has her humorous moments.
Overall, my only complaint is that the plot doesn't develop as well as I would like, especially in the relationship between Gray and Fritz.
I also would like to see Fritz develop more. In the movie, he never completely becomes that "sweep you off your feet" kind of guy I was hoping for.
Catch and Release gives a touching and interesting look at how each of the characters deals with the loss of a person they love. It also is nice to see Gray build a relationship with someone else after everything she has had to go through.
After 13 Going on 30, this Jennifer Garner movie didn't quite live up to my expectations, but I still enjoyed it.
Catch and Release is rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some drug use. It brought in around $8 million in its weekend debut and managed to grab a top five spot at the box office. However, I don't see it staying near the top for long.
Although Catch and Release is predictable and seemingly unrealistic, it is cute and quirky and kept me laughing.
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