Some of us old fogies (though I’m really not that old), remember watching the 1960’s Rock Hudson / Doris Day romantic comedies with a fondness for that simpler time. These movies were often sickly sweet, yet they were laced with enough sexual double-entendres to keep ‘know-it-all’ movie historians interpreting their meanings year after year. “Down with Love” is a movie that should have played better in the theatres, but didn’t. The fact that it did such a terrific job of re-creating that style was both its blessing and its curse. There just aren’t enough of us around anymore who can still appreciate the style of those movies. I give a lot of credit to Director Peyton Reed for making sure that everything about the film screamed 1960’s. The hair, clothes, sets and even the colors perfectly reflected the movies it meant to emulate. The blessing lies in the fact that there are a few of us who can recognize the work that went into it.

The curse is that it was probably lost on today’s MTV fed masses. Perhaps if the film had played more as a parody it might have been more popular, but then everything that made it so good would have been lost.

Just to give you a quick rundown of the type of story your dealing with here, Renee Zellweger plays Barbara Novak, the author of a new book called (oddly enough) “Down with Love” which pretty much promotes the idea that women should be afforded all he rights that men have. Even to the point of sexual promiscuity. Ewan McGregor is Catcher Block, who also happens to be a writer, but for a men’s magazine. His plan is to romance Barbara so he can prove she’s not the feminist she purports to be. Let the double-entendres begin.

Both leads do a masterful job of channeling Hudson and Day, though again it’s fair to say the integrity of their performances would again be lost on today’s movie-going audiences. What I hope to see is for “Down with Love” to do gangbusters on DVD. Perhaps a lot of the people who don’t make it out to the theatre will grab a copy of the film, and reminisce a bit about the movies they used to love.

Speaking of the DVD, Fox did a fairly good job of setting it up with extra features, but most of them are too short to really get much. The audio commentary by director Reed is fairly interesting, but simply isn’t as entertaining as just watching the film. Even the deleted scenes seem a bit obligatory, and really don’t add much to the overall story. It’s easy to see why they were cut.

There is an HBO special, which as you might expect is more of a promotional puff piece, but the production vignettes are pretty good, just too short. I did enjoy the Gag Reel, but mostly I liked the music video. After seeing the terrific job McGregor did in the exceptional “Moulin Rouge”, I look forward to any opportunity to hear the man sing. He’s one of those odd performers that have a voice that sounds great, despite the fact that he’s not really that great a singer.

There’s probably as lot of people who won’t like “Down with Love”, but that is in no way the fault of the film. Sometimes creativity, especially when it’s used in an homage to a film style of the past, is often lost on the ignorant.

Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger, David Hyde Pierce, Sarah Paulson, Tony Randall
Extras: Audio Commentary by Director Peyton Reed, Deleted Scenes with Optional Director’s Commentary, HBO Special, 8 Production Vignettes, Gag Reel, Music Video: “Here’s To Love”, Performed by Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: 10/7/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Sexual Humor and Dialogue)
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We'll give Down With Love a B-.