Customer Reviews

I'm With Lucy [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"I'm With Lucy" is not a great romantic comedy but I swear it is worth watching a lot more than many of the movies in this genre that I have seen in recent years with bigger stars (e.g., "Maid in Manhattan"). In fact, this 2002 film has exactly what was missing in the last romantic comedy I saw, "Chasing Liberty," which was a grand romantic gesture. The Mandy Moore film sets up the situation for the grand romantic gesture but fails to deliver. Meanwhile, this film starring Monica Potter not only has a pretty great grand romantic gesture, it actually comes as something of a surprise in the film.

The story first time screenwriter Eric Pomerance has to tell is about Lucy, who is about to get married when we first meet her. We learn that after being dumped by her boyfriend under circumstances that would send most young women to hide under their covers for at least a year, Lucy is set up with five blind dates over the course of that year by her sister. One of these five, we are told, will end up marrying Lucy and obviously we are supposed to see if we can figure out who is Mr. Right before our heroine does.

We are introduced to the five blind dates in quick succession, which sets up the logic of the film as we cycle through Lucy's five choices again and again. First, there is Doug (John Hannah), a recently divorced entomologist. He is simple and sincere but seems a bit intimidated by the train wreck that is Lucy's life. Second is the steamy playwright Gabriel (Gael García Bernal), who is sexy as all get out and has a stream going through his apartment. Third is Bobby (Anthony LaPaglia) an ex-Jock who cannot believe that Lucy (a) does not know who he is and (b) refuses his moves. Fourth is Luke (David Boreanaz WITH A TAN!) a physical therapist who has plenty of other women interested in him if Lucy is not interested. Finally there is Barry (Henry Thomas), a charming computer nerd.

It takes a while for this movie to really get rolling because the storytelling gimmick gets in the way at the beginning. All five of the blind dates are introduced as disasters so it is somewhat surprising that any of them get to the level where marriage is a possibility. But part of the charm of Pomerance's story is that even the guy who makes the worst first impression might actually be a worthwhile human being. Of course the other possibility, that some of these guys might not really be as great as they seem, comes into play as well. You may have a favorite early on, but it is hard to really declare any of these guys out of the running, until the grand romantic gestures has you declaring game, set, match (and even then...).

The jumping around does not always work, mainly to the detriment of our getting to really know Lucy herself until the last half of the film, but there are enough cuts that work to the advantage of "I'm With Lucy" to make it a worthwhile gimmick on balance. More importantly, the film has a payoff that exceeds the set up, which is rare enough in contemporary romantic comedies to make it something to cherish.

Final Note: I never really heard of this film before and like many people only stumbled across it because David Boreanaz (WITH A TAN!) is in it. But I am not surprised that "I'm With Lucy" was under the radar because the trailer for this film is one of the worst I have ever seen. If I had seen the trailer first I would have probably passed on this film, even with the presence of the actor formally known as Angel. But that would be a mistake because this one is definitely worth a look.

WOW! This was a pretty decent romantic comedy. We had this in our collection for months (Possibly years) and never watched it. We decided to watch this film on a whim. I have to say that it was better and ever funnier than I thought it would be.

Monica Potter is great in her role. It's a sweet movie that actually doesn't do to much guy bashing (the reason so many guys hate romantic comedies). I am also a big fam of Henry Thomas, and he is great at as well.

I won't go into the plot here, as many others already have. But what I am simply amazed with as many bad romantic comedies that get released in theatres (Sweet Home Alabama & 13 Going on 30) that a movie like this never got mainstream attention.

The other thing that must be said is, with virtually no cute romatic female leads under 40 (and over 18), why isn't Monica Potter more famous than she is. She can easily be the next Julia Roberts, or Meg Ryan. Julia has 2 kids and Meg has just hit the wall, it's time for a beauty like Monica Potter to get into the very lucrative Romantic Comedy genre. Here's hoping she gets a better agent before it's to late.

Cute movie, with a good heart. Definetly made a date night at home wonderful.

-Mark
(for the record 32yrs old, straight and yes I enjoyed this movie)

Two words: David Boreanaz. If you are a Buffy/Angel fan, then you will enjoy the few minutes David is actually in the movie. David sports a healthy Florida tan and avoids the dark colors he is known for on his TV show. Oh, this is supposed to be about the movie, right? Seriously, the movie is worth adding to your DVD collection. Monica Potter is believable as a norotic New Yorker having man problems. Henry Thomas has grown up to be a nice-looking and even more talented actor since "E.T.". The other three male characters add some humorous entertainment to the movie. Go on! Buy it! Worse could happen is you sell it at a garage sale. I think you will be happily surprised with this find.

This movie follows, Lucy (Monica Potter) as she recovers from a humiliating break-up by going on five blind dates. She meets five decent guys at different stages of her "recovery" from her previous break-up. It's far funnier than I thought it would be and has a very sweet romantic scene that could melt anyone's heart. All in all I would say it's a smart romantic and very funny flick that's worth seeing.

Jon Sherman directs Eric Pomerance's first credited screenplay in this romantic romp. Monica Potter who was both convincing & chilling in the tense "Along Came a Spider" with Morgan Freeman shows that she has a flair for romantic comedy. Her role here as a lead is different from her supporting roles with Robin Williams in "Patch Adams" and as Nicholas Cage's wife in "Con Air." Because of her voice and mannerisms, she will unfortunately probably be referred to as "the blonde Julia Roberts"; but Monica is quite good in her own right. For those who love this genre, this is a fairly good outing. The revelation for me was Henry Thomas as a delightful romantic lead. He certainly has grown up since the days when the world watched him as Elliott in E.T.; and although he's worked steadily, he sparks in this film with his dreamy-eyed portrayl of Barry, the man smitten by Lucy, who intercuts his childhood home movies with hers and shoots them up on a wall in the middle of the city. Also strong, is the wonderful performance of John Hannah with his Scottish brogue as the recently jilted and somewhat up-tight date. My daughter who watched the film was rooting for him to be the one Lucy picks. His performances in "4 Weddings & A Funeral," "Sliding Doors," and "The Mummy" have created an excellent body of work. Gael Garcia Bernal is certainly an outstanding young hunk; & director Sherman wastes little time before [getting] him down in bed with Lucy. He's actually very believable as the young serious playwright and has a wonderful apartment with a stream running through it! (I thought, "That's my kind of nature; no mosquitoes.") Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia is delightfully obtuce as the jockish baseball player. Julie Christie gives a charming cameo as Lucy's mama. Julianne Nicholson does a great job as the best friend. The plot is interesting with 5 dates intercut, knowing that she chooses one to marry, and going through each date concurrently to see who walks to the alter with Lucy. The DVD special features weren't that memorable. I kept misremembering the title as "I Love Lucy," but this lighthearted sweet film is a great diamond. Enjoy!

I bought this DVD on a lark. I was familiar with Monica Potter and liked her in "The Very Thought of You" (another fun romantic comedy starring Joseph Fiennes and Rufus Sewell) but didn't really know much about this movie or heard much about it. This was actually much better and more enjoyable than I expected.

The premise is pretty clever - Lucy gets dumped by her boyfriend and her best friends set her up on blind dates. Flash forward to the present where we see Lucy getting ready for her wedding. We know she ends up with someone in the end. So we see flashbacks as her 5 dates unfold and we get to guess who she ends up with. On the surface all the dates look pretty hopeless (no chemistry, nothing in common, etc) but as the dates progress we find a couple of guys who may not be so bad after all. It's a nice romantic comedy with a sweet satisfying ending.

I would also suggest checking out "The Very Thought of You" as another movie that is fun and romantic. It is very much in the tone of movies like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Serendipity." If you like these, then check this DVD/video out.

If you're in the mood for a simple, yet fun romantic comedy, this is the movie! It takes you through a timeline of men that Lucy gets set up with on blind dates. The men are all unique, yet believeable. In the end she ends up marrying one of them...the right guy!
Its a fun way to keep your spirits up when you're feeling down. Just love this movie!

This has to be one of the greatest romantic comedy films I have ever seen.
The idea of 5 blind dates and one true love may seem like a cliche and a tired plot, however this film creates and tells the story the way few films do.
To be honest I thought the film was a little slow for the first 15 minutes, but after watching it in its entirety, I found that the first 15 minutes were key in that it brought you into the mood and emotions the characters were feeling.
I really enjoyed this film tremendously, and would highly reccommend this to anyone who likes a good movie.

The main reason I wanted to see this film was for Henry Thomas. He's come a long way since that little red sweatshirt and the alien and if you can find his movies he's always worth watching. Monica Potter - I like her, too; she endearing. The supporting "dates" were interesting (I especially liked John Hannah's character) and I always enjoy seeing Harold Ramis. It's a fun sweet movie. This is definitely one of my favorite movies with Henry. Niagara, Niagara and Suicide Kings are also keepers.

I watched this video last night while my husband was out and it made me miss him so much. The story just made me feel all mushy and romantic as I watched Lucy go from guy to guy, wondering who she would pick in the end. Most of her suitors were incredibly sweet and good to her. One guy turned out to be a real abusive jerk in the end. I really had no idea who she would choose until close to the end, when it became pretty obvious who the "winner" would be. I wasn't dissapointed because he was really cute and nice to her, although she did have good chemistry with some of the others too. The funniest scenes were with her parents. Oh, and I have to mention how uncanny the resemblance is between Monica Potter and Julia Roberts. It is just too weird. If you are a romantic you will definitely enjoy this movie.