Director/writer: Tony Herbert | Rated: R (language) | Review date: 28-Jan-2010

James Van Der Bexton, played by Hugh O’Conor, is heir to a fortune, but that doesn’t necessarily mean life is great. Approaching 30, James is still stuck on his ex who left him for someone else, hoping that she’ll one day take him back. To pass the time, James takes up speed dating, but not to actually get dates, but rather just for his amusement. His buddies constantly try to bring him out of his rut but to little avail. James’ friend and psychologist, who he’s been seeing since the breakup, also tries to help James move on with his life.

The film starts off kind of slow, relying on stereotypical romance humor and unfunny one-liners. Much of the attempts for laughs took place in the speed dating scenes, with James spewing his incongruous lies. I couldn’t help but use The 40 Year Old Virgin speed dating scenes as a comparison, and quite frankly this film’s did not even slightly measure up. After James becomes banned from speed dating after receiving countless complaints, he takes up a different hobby: stalking.

Though the first 20 minutes or so of the film were less than enjoyable to me, it ended up being quite a surprise. As James embarks on his newest hobby as a wannabe secret agent, things get more interesting and original. He notices a young woman walk into his favorite pub one night, and a cliché love at first sight scenario takes place. James decides to find more info out about this woman and uses her as his first subject. After following her home and monitoring her from the rooftop adjacent from her apartment building, he’s hit by a car.

At this point the film really drew me in. Instead of the boring and “nothing we haven’t seen before” romantic comedy that I had the film pinned to be, it brought a slight mystery angle into the picture. In the hospital, after learning that the woman he was stalking the night prior has gone missing, James finds himself with no memory. Nothing from meeting with his eccentric family to drinking with his old pals seems to bring anything back. But one person, a nurse named Susan (Emma Choy) is bent on helping him recover his memories and putting together the missing pieces of the case at hand.

Acting-wise the film did succeed. The characters were likable and the actors fit their persona. I especially enjoyed Nora-Jane Noone as James’ sister Juliet, as she provided a lot of the most humorous dialog. Equally impressive to me was newcomer Emma Choy, as her cute appearance and spunk never allowed for a dull moment. Overlooking some of the weaker aspects of the writing, which mainly were just prevalent in the opening act, the movie did prove to be funny and entertaining. The pleasant soundtrack also complimented the mood and situations perfectly; at times certain scenes almost seemed like a music video.

At first I was sure I was going to dislike this movie. But with the cleaver addition of a mini-mystery, some likable and eccentric characters, and a bit of romance, it ended up being a thoroughly pleasant film. The originality in the story department along with the excellent character development made this film more than a simple romantic comedy. Speed Dating is a great comedy that manages to mix in realistic emotions felt during love while being fairly original and unconventional. Couples and single people alike will get some good laughs and a pleasant feeling with this one.

Official site/trailer | IMDb

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