One for the Money

[twodollars]

I expected this to get horrible reviews. Most reviewers are male and female-lead/rom-com movies get trashed by the reviewers all the time.

I saw it this afternoon and thought they really kept true to the tone of the series. Sherry Shephard was perfectly cast as Lula and Jason O'Mara and Katherine Heigl surprised me with how well they nailed the roles. I was shocked at how crowded the theater was for the film.

I'd love for this to be a surprise hit to get a sequel. The 2nd book is my favorite of the series and where Lula really becomes a key part of the series.

The only downside is that Stephanie doesn't eat nearly enough in this movie. I don't think she went on one donut run.

[Aurora B]

I also saw this today and liked it for what it was. True, it's pretty fluffy, but so were the books, not literary heavy-hitters. I think Heigl played the character well enough, as did the other actors. I did especially like Sherry Shepard as Lula. I read a few of the early books years ago so didn't remember the specifics of this story plot to have an ongoing comparison in my mind. I was with a group of folks who were more invested in the book's characters and they liked it too, so I think it did it's job. Several people asked us outside the theater what we thought and were relieved to hear we liked it. I'm sorry the "professional" critics don't give stuff like this some slack., although I get why they don't, but not everything is Shakespeare or Miller. Some stories are just entertaining for a couple of hours, not some literary tome with deep perspectives on the human condition.

[lpatrice]

I saw it and was not impressed, I know the books are fluff, but I thought the movie was seriously lacking in charm. It was just boring, for whatever reason, the story just did not seem to translate well to screen. I actually thought, everyone did a good job, but Heigl was just horribly miscast and I hated her Jersey accent. I think the best parts were definitely: LuLu, Connie, and Vinnie. DS was fine as Ranger but he just wasn't imposing enough to be Ranger as I imagined from the books.

[bitca]

Saw it on Fri. Meh. It woulda been great if they made it ten years ago with Sandra, The Rock (shush) and Estelle. Morelli was like a cartoon character. Ranger... talked too much? Something. Plus, every time he said he was gonna "bounce," I leaned over to my best friend, "HE WOULD NEVER SAY 'BOUNCE!'" "I KNOW!" After reading the books nearly since they came out, the casting was a pretty big let down. The script wasn't awful, though. And, well, actually, Connie was exactly how I pictured her, so, yay for that. Entertaining at least. (Especially when you've had a few cocktails beforehand.)

[LurkerNan]

If you've never read the books, you'd end up enjoying it just for the rom-com appeal.

[Shanmac]

Saw it today. I liked Katherine Heigl as Stephanie, which surprised me. Jason O'Mara won me over, too. Quibbles: Not enough Ranger, and did not like Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur (what was with the over-the-top, stage-y hand gestures?). I did like Sherri Shepherd as Lula, though. I felt like they kind of glossed over her attack, though (although, I have to admit, I didn't mind that much, because in the book, it was totally horrifying). Connie was spot-on, and so was creepy, weaselly Cousin Vinnie.

ETA: I also liked the scene with Mrs. Morelli. "Does your mother know you're carrying a gun!?" Heh.