Mismatched travelling companions Amy Adams and Matthew Goode go on a meandering, mishap-strewn journey across Ireland in new romantic comedy Leap Year. And at every step of the way – from strained set-up to predictable conclusion – you can tell just how tough it is for today’s romcom writers to play matchmaker with any conviction.
Adams plays control-freaky American Anna Brady, who is so fed up with waiting for her cardiologist boyfriend to propose that she decides to surprise him in Dublin on 29 February and pop the question herself. Goode is the laid-back Irish publican, Declan, who gets roped in to taking her across country to the capital after bad weather strands her on the other side of Ireland.
As Anna and Declan make their way across country, bickering and sparring as they go, you know it is only a matter of time before this chalk ’n’cheese duo fall in love. No romantic comedy or Emerald Isle cliché is left unturned, but Adams and Goode’s charm should be enough to get an indulgent viewer to the finishing line.
On general release from 26th February.
I certainly didn’t make it to the finishing line. I loved the location shooting, especially the castle they visit. So its a pretty travelogue, but the film was a travesty. And it’s not even a leap year….
Yes, you have to be a very indulgent fan of the genre to get to the end.