During awards season, the majority of films I’m watching are intense dramas or dark comedies. So I appreciate getting to take a break with a fun romantic comedy that requires little or no thought. Unfortunately Paula Patton’s new film, Baggage Claim, makes too many uneventful stops and one predictable destination.
Paula Patton plays Montana Moore, a bubbly flight attendant who still hasn’t met Mr.Right. After Montana’s younger sister (Lauren London) gets engaged, she starts to feel the need to find a husband of her own. With her mother (Jenifer Lewis), who has already been married five times, constantly pressuring to find a man and become a real “lady,” Montana sets out for mission “put a ring on it.” With the help of her co-workers, she embarks on a thirty day challenge to find her future fiancée within the batch of past exes who happen to all be taking flights on her airline.
The acting in this film is mediocre. At times it was hard to remember that Patton was the same actress who played Ms. Rain in Precious. Though Montana is a likeable character, she is also a bit of an irritating one. You like her because she is beautiful and sweet, but her desperation to find a husband comes off ungenuine by her over expressive facial expressions and lack of emotion during her “saddest” times in the film. Jenifer Lewis does a good job as the over dramatic mother who worries her daughter will never get married. I’ve just seen this character so many times before, and they always end with the same resolution that can be a bore to watch. Surprisingly enough, the characters who did make me laugh were Montana’s best friends and fellow flight attendants, Sam (Adam Brody) and Gail (Jill Scott). Scott and Brody make an entertaining duo with some hilarious one-liners. Sadly, these two have more chemistry together than Patton does with any of her suitors, and that’s with Adam Brody playing a homosexual in the film.
To say Baggage Claim is a cliche romantic comedy is an understatement. This film is so predictable that you can figure out how it is going to end within the first five minutes. That being said, it is still a cute film with a relevantly good message. “The magic isn’t in the getting married, it’s in the staying married.” With the rush to get married these days and the soon after divorces, it is nice to see a film express how important it is to know and love yourself first before sharing your life with someone else. But other than that message and some cheap laughs, you are left feeling a little underwhelmed with the film.
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some language.
Baggage Claim makes it’s landing in theaters today…
If you are in the mood for a more realistic romantic comedy, I recommend Enough Said. Starring the late, James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The film is currently playing in select theaters, but its worth whatever drive you have to take to see. It’s an original story with lots of laughs and an incredibly, charming James Gandolfini.