Customer Reviews

The Accidental Husband

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Yes, it's fluff but, to the tell you the truth, I couldn't stop watching it. At first, the premise seems ludicrous - why would anyone engaged to Colin Firth be happy to be married to someone else? As the circumstances of the movie unfold and one realizes that Firth is more the "safe bet" Mr. Darcy character he is so famous for playing, whereas the other man is the epiphany of freedom, adventure, and excitement, the answer becomes quite obvious. At the theaters, this movie will be best enjoyed as part of the date movie ritual; as a rental, this movie will do marvelously.

Charming, entertaining and fun! Uma Thurman shines in her first major romantic comedy "The Accidental Husband". A refreshing take on love triangle storyline with the inclusion of South Asian pop culture mixed in. Also, featuring a solid performance from Colin Firth and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. If you enjoy romantic comedies, give this film a chance!

"The Accidental Husband", the romantic comedy directed by actor Griffin Dunne ("Frasier", "After Hours", "Duke of Groove") and features a screenplay by Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor and Bonnie Sikowitz ("Spin City, "Scrubs"), music by composer Andrea Gurrera ("Dada's Dance", "Birdwatchers", "A Perfect Day") and cinematographer William Rexer ("The Devil Came On Horseback", "I Think I Love My Wife", "Fierce People").

The film that had so much potential but unfortunately, similar to the film "The Maiden Heist", was shelved indefinitely after the bankruptcy of the distributor Yari Film Group before it was set to premiere in the United States. The film did manage to get a theatrical debut in the UK.

The film would be the first to showcase Uma Thurman ("Kill Bill", "The Avengers", "My Super Ex-Girlfriend") in her first romantic comedy and star along with Colin Firth ("Easy Virtue", "Pride and Prejudice", "Bridget Jones"), Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("Grey's Anatomy", "Supernatural"), Sam Shepard ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", "Stealth", "Swordfish") and Isabella Rossellini ("Napoleon", "Infamous", "Alias").

The film revolves around Dr. Emma Lloyd (played by Uma Thurman). A well-known radio talk show host in New York City who talks about love and relationships in her program. She's dating Richard Bratton (played by Colin Firth) who is a publisher and the two are planning to get married.

Meanwhile, Patrick Sullivan (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is set to get married to his fiance...until his fiance has second feelings about the marriage after listening to Dr. Lloyd's radio program and realizes from calling into the show that she is not in love with him and breaks up the relationship.

Patrick hears the program while driving home with his friends after a game of soccer and is shocked that his (ex) fiance really listened to Dr. Lloyd that when he get home. So, depressed and in anger, Patrick talks to friend/young hacker to cause problems for Emma Lloyd and give her a taste of her medicine by creating a marriage certificate which says that she is married to him.

So, on the day that Emma and Richard are to get their marriage license, they find out that she is married to man she has never met. Due to the rules, the only way to take care of this is by meeting up with Patrick Sullivan and getting him to sign off on paperwork to end their "marriage" and then get the papers notarized.

Seems simple enough but with Patrick wanting his revenge on Emma, he's determined to get close to this beautiful blonde by going to her workplace, meanwhile Emma knows she needs these papers sign and notarized so she tries to be nice with him which includes allowing him to go with her to a cake tasting for her wedding and by doing that, both Emma and Patrick must pretend that they are a couple and that is when things start to go awry. Especially when they discover that they may have feelings for each other.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"The Accidental Husband" is a beautiful film shot in New York City. Really beautiful shots above the New York City skyline and various areas in the city. The film continues Yari Film Group's incorporation of Indian culture in the film and thus we see Patrick living with an Indian family, his good friend is Indian and we see the culture showcased at an Indian party that the characters attend.

It was very interesting to see New York but that South Asian flair in the film and for the most part William Rexer did a fine job in getting really beautiful shots of the city. Picture quality was nice and vibrant on DVD and is presneted in 1:85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen.

As for audio, the film is presented in English 5.1 (Dolby Digital). For the most part, the film is dialogue and music driven. Front and center channels are clear and understandable and music plays a big part in this film. Especially Indian music. Overall, not a film that showcases action, so the soundtrack is quite satisfactory for the film.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"The Accidental Husband" comes with the following special feature:

* Matters of the Heart: Making-Of Featurette - (20:40) Interviews with the the cast and crew in regards to the making of the film. Uma Thurman talks about getting the opportunity to play a comedic role and working with Colin Firth and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Griffin Dunne talks about the cast and why he cast some of the main talent and more.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"The Accidental Husband" is a charming, fun and enjoyable romantic comedy. Granted, it's not the best romantic comedy ever made but the fact that it tries to be different in showcasing the typical storyline of woman is to marry a man #1, woman meets new man #2 and finds magic with man #2 but yet knows she is getting married to man #1. Sure, we have seen these type of films done many times before but "The Accidental Husband" tries to be different as it incorporates that Indian culture into the film.

In a way this was quite unexpected because this is not a Bollywood film but the addition of Ajay Naidu playing the part of Deep, Patrick's best friend and Patrick living at his family's building, there is a good amount of Indian culture featured in the film and also music, despite the main characters being Caucasian.

So, in some ways, there is a taste of Bollywood in this film. Subtle but yet it gives a refreshing take to a often-used relationship storyline seen in previous romantic comedies and I enjoyed that. Some may find it disruptive but I found it quite refreshing for a change.

As for the talents in the film, Uma Thurman did a great job of playing Dr. Emma Lloyd. She mentions in the special features that she's never given romantic comedy scripts. Comedy in general and now with this film, she's given a chance, especially being one of the Executive Producers on the film. And interesting enough, where she is known for her action-based films such as "Kill Bill" and "The Avengers", in this film...she actually got hurt (as well as Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and broke her hand. But despite those injuries, she did a great job and I found her performance to be quite enjoyable but its such a shame that the film didn't get the opportunity for a theatrical release in the US.

As for her leading men, Colin Firth is always an actor that is enjoyable to watch onscreen. Such an amazing talent and deadpan humor, although not a tremendous role in the film, his moments in the film are quite hilarious and entertaining. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a surprise. Many of us have seen him playing the patient on "Grey's Anatomy" but "The Accidental Husband" is his first major role to play a major character lead along with Uma Thurman and Colin Firth. But overall, solid performances from both men.

Overall, "The Accidental Husband" was a good film and does things much differently than other films similar to it. The inclusion of South Asian cultural themes definitely gives the film a refreshing spin and for the most part, I enjoyed the talent and definitely seeing Uma Thurman take on a romantic comedy which she did very well. Romantic comedy fans, give this film a chance!

I really liked this movie, and I'm a guy. Sure it was improbable but then romantic comedies always are. Great performances all around from a very fine cast. Just one thing had me pulling my hair (again): that scene of the sprinklers in the churchl I wish I had a dollar for every time I have seen a movie scene where someone sets off a single sprinkler head and ALL the heads open up and drench everyone. Folks, sprinklers don't work that way, at least not ordinary sprinklers. Only the sprinkler head that gets the heat opens up; if they all opened most systems would fail due to insufficient water pressure. Okay, enough Fire Protection 101. After all it is a comedy and it makes the plot work. So despite that flaw, which has been repeated a hundred times in film, I loved the movie. We need more romantic movies like this, with beautiful actors and emotional connections, and fewer adolescent comedies with geek-ugly male leads, loads of bathroom jokes and scatological humor. I swear sometimes it seems Hollywood has been taken over by a gang of 13 year old boys.

I love this movie because it went to an impossible place and still all the actors sold it. It was smart and thoughtful. No actor over did it with over the top hating and crying. Sometime silly but never eye rolling. Light and Fun.

The beginning was a little hard to get through but I'm glad I stuck it out. It's a total chick flick full of mix-matched romance and comedic confusions. However, while it followed the same "mold" we've all seen time and again, there were some different elements to this film that made it a pleasure to watch. It may not be really realistic, but it's a great film to watch with your girlfriends or with a big bowl of ice cream by your side!

I had this movie on my wish list, but then saw it over the weekend and didn't like it. Any movie where Colin Firth is just a supporting role, and misused at that, is a waste of time in my opinion. Uma Thurman is beautiful beyond belief, but the "lead" actor (not Firth) is not interesting. Nor is it believable that she'd pick him instead. Not well scripted, either...big disappointment.

This DVD is everything you'd want in girls'-night-in entertainment. The story is improbable but totally fun, the actors are really good, and it is beautifully filmed. What a drag that The Accidental Husband was never released in theatres here, because it would make out very well at the box office as a perfect date flick. The scene at the cake-tasting, alone, is worth the price of the DVD as they struggle to invent the story of how they met.

As a New Yorker, I absolutely loved the Queens and Manhattan setting, and the occasional ethnic music just made it perfect for this city girl! (Hey! Was that a Carvel I saw in the background??) Make some popcorn and get ready to have a great time, because this is definitely a top-ten chick-flick in my estimation.

This movie was a hoot!

I rented this to watch with female, but ended up watching alone.

Uma Thurman is her usual delicious self.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan stole the show.
Colin Firth played an excellent supporting role.

There are some scenes in here that reminded me of real life.

If only our lives turned out like theirs ...
LOL

The Accidental Husband was all I expected it to be with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Uma Thurman. Light, fun... just an enjoyable movie.

Griffin Dunne's 2008 romantic comedy, "The Accidental Husband" has been both praised and damned for not reinventing the genre, in some manner, but I found it charming, with it's own merits, and a terrific comic performance by Uma Thurman, an actress rather locked, these days, in action-oriented films. She is surprisingly funny, with great timing, and a welcome ability to laugh at herself without being self-conscious about it. Matched with Colin Firth's skill at finding humor in exasperation, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's gonzo energy, the trio makes the film a very pleasant experience, and a date movie your younger siblings can enjoy, too (PG-13, with some profanity, but no nudity).

The plot is pretty straightforward; Thurman is a radio 'love doctor' whose pragmatic view of romance costs fireman Morgan the love (and engagement) of his fiance. When an Indian teen neighbor (and computer geek) hacks into Thurman's personal records, Morgan sees a way to give her a taste of her own medicine, listing himself as her husband (being married, she cannot apply for a wedding licence with her publisher/longtime beau, Firth). She visits Morgan for his signature on an annulment (which he stretches out), and, naturally, over time, the mismatched pair fall in love, in a postcard-beautiful New York City...

Two real pluses for the film are the superb supporting cast, and a taste of New York City's rich Indian culture (in the neighborhood where Morgan lives). Four of my favorite actors, Sam Shepard, Isabella Rossellini, Keir Dullea, and Brooke Adams, get to play comedy, for a change, and each is marvellous (particularly Rossellini, who is a dead ringer for her mother, Ingrid Bergman). The Indian 'Barmitzvah' sequence is, simply, fabulous, with an entertaining touch of 'Bollywood'!

The 'Making-Of' featurette is a plus, too, with the backstory of Thurman's decade-long effort to bring the story to the screen, and funny, light-hearted observations by Dunne, Firth, Morgan, and Rosselini. Both Thurman and Morgan were injured, making the movie (she broke her wrist in a fall, he tore up his leg playing soccer), and "Accidental" is a too-appropriate title!

Give "The Accidental Husband" a chance...I'm glad I did!