Two Weeks Notice

Two Weeks Notice is a lazy effort from Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. It brings nothing new to the already tired genre of the romantic comedy, instead relying on the considerable talents of its stars to coast along to a movie that only is barely tolerable. If anything, this movie shows how easily Bullock (The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood, Murder by Numbers) and Grant (About a Boy, Bridget Jones's Diary) come to material like this, and how people with their talent can make things look better than it actually is. One nice change from formula is that the two main characters have brains. In fact, they are incredibly smart lawyers with opposing philosophies.

George Wade (Grant) is the ultimate capitalist, who cares only for money. Lucy Kelson (Bullock) is the crusading activist, found on a wrecking ball at the beginning of the film. Wade's company is trying to redevelop the community center Kelson enjoyed as a child, and she is adamantly opposed since she believes it should be designated a historic monument. Through a typical plot twist, Wade hires Kelson to head up the pro bono work of his company. The movie flashes forward quickly, to show how Kelson's job changes. In essence, she becomes Wade's personal assistant, available to cater to his every insignificant whim. She is tired of this, so decides to quit. It's a pretty long set-up, and after it happens, writer/director Marc Lawrence (writer of Miss Congeniality and The Out-of-Towners) lets things go on autopilot.

Kelson must hire her replacement, and finds June Carter (Alicia Witt, Vanilla Sky, Cecil B. Demented), an attractive young attorney that instantly begins making moves toward Wade, an avowed ladies man, who never made a pass at Kelson. Kelson and Wade start acting weirdly towards each other, not realizing this monumental epiphany: that although they are totally different they really love each other. Nothing new here, and maybe there is something comfortable about familiarity, especially when it is done with a little more thought than usual. Grant and Bullock don't hate each other as much as couples do in some romantic comedies, but the jokes aren't that funny and are few and far between. But the fact remains that Grant is playing the pompous jerk, and Bullock the spunky cute girl, the two roles that both excel in. Is it enough to enliven an otherwise dull movie? Barely.

Haro Rates It: Okay.
1 hour, 40 minutes, Rated PG-13 for some sex-related humor.

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