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"Bitter
'Sweet'"
by Scott Mantz
"Sweet November"
Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron
Directed by Pat O'Connor
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| Love story!
Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves break the ice in "Sweet November" |
Keanu Reeves
is living proof that just about anything can happen in Hollywood.
It's more than just an inside joke that the guy can't act his way
out of a paper bag, yet for some reason, he continues to be one
of the busiest actors in the business. In the last 6 months alone,
he's been in 4 movies--"The Replacements," "The Watcher," "The Gift"
(OK, he was pretty good in that one!), and now, "Sweet November."
The real shame is that despite what could have been a great date
flick featuring a stellar performance from Charlize Theron, Reeves
brings the film down so far that all you can think is "whoa!"
Nelson (Keanu
Reeves) is a hyperactive San Francisco advertising executive who'd
rather be nailing a high profile account than his too-hot-for-words
girlfriend. When he finally gets the chance to break away from his
job, he has to spend it in purgatory (the DMV) to renew his drivers
license. There, he meets the free-spirited Sara (Charlize Theron),
and even though their views couldn't be any further apart, Sara
makes Nelson an offer he can't refuse. All she needs is one month,
and she'll change his life forever. When Nelson loses his job and
his girlfriend in the same day (think Bill Murray in "Stripes"),
he takes Sara up on her offer. During this time, he literally learns
to stop and smell the roses, but in the process, he learns why one
month is all that Sara can give.
"Sweet November"
has more in common with last year's ill-fated (if you'll pardon
the expression!) "Autumn in New York" than it does with the original
1968 Sandy Dennis movie that inspired it. The film is incredibly
predictable, unbelievably contrived, and emotionally manipulative,
yet it still might have worked had it not been for Reeves' stiff
and uninvolving performance. There's no doubt that his best films
are the ones where he doesn't have to act too much (witness "The
Matrix" and "Speed"), but with a film as emotionally rooted as "Sweet
November," he just doesn't have the acting chops to nail the heart
on the board and bring it all together.
Charlize Theron,
on the other hand, puts in her strongest and most range revealing
turn to date. After a slew of OK performances in OK films ("The
Legend of Bagger Vance," "Men of Honor"), she finally displays her
range with a charming, sexy, and instantly likable character. Since
she goes through quite a drastic change throughout the course of
the film, it's easy to see why she turned down the starring role
in the big budget extravaganza "Pearl Harbor" to do this instead.
However, considering that the rest of the film isn't up to snuff,
it might have been a bad career move.
In the hands
of another actor, some of the film's more melodramatic scenes might
have worked. In the hands of Reeves, the outdated feel of this "Love
Story" wannabe is magnified even further. As with 1997's "The Devil's
Advocate," Theron and Reeves certainly look good together, but "Sweet
November" is far from being the effective tear-jerker that it set
out to be. Despite this, there's no doubt that Reeves will continue
to get the type of meaty film roles that were meant for other people.
Like I said, anything can happen in Hollywood.
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