Down With Love (2003)

"...the film looks as yummy as Renee Zellweger, who shows up in full Doris Day twinkle...  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Down with Love is a lightweight trifle to be sure; but it's a lightweight trifle that kept me laughing and smiling for 100 minutes.  Scott Weinberg, Efilmcritic.Com
"...easily the most unabashedly mirthful film in ages.  Brent Simon, Entertainment Today

Editor's Note Part tribute to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, and part commentary on the changing sexual mores of a bygone era, DOWN WITH LOVE is a bright, funny, technicolor treat that sets out to prove that opposites attract. Set in early-60s New York, the film follows the exploits of hot new feminist author Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger), whose best-selling book "Down With Love" teaches women to focus on their careers, and never fall in love. This viewpoint is in direct contrast with Catch Block (Ewan McGregor), the simmering, smooth journalist and man-about-town. Catch and Barbara soon become arch enemies. But as the book sales soar, Catch hatches a devious plan, disguising himself in an attempt to seduce the divine Ms. Novak, thereby debunking the myths of her book, and simultaneously winning the journalistic scoop of the year. Director Peyton Reed has successfully emulated the comedies of yesteryear with this hammy, heady mix of endless double entendres, split-screen techniques, and a healthy dose of sexual politics. Zellweger and McGregor clearly delight in their retro roles, deliciously exaggerating their characters, with ample support provided by David Hyde Pierce and Sarah Paulson. DOWN WITH LOVE is a comedy that uses characters from the past to deliver a message that resonates in the present, and provides across-the-board appeal for audiences of all ages.

	Rachel Dratch
	Renee Zelweger
	Sarah Paulson
	Ewan McGregor
	Jack Plotnick
	David Hyde Pierce
	Jeff Cronenweth - Cinematographer
	Peyton Reed - Director
	Larry Bock - Editor
	Paddy Cullen - Executive Producer
	Marc Shaiman - Musical Score
	Bruce Cohen - Producer
	Andrew Laws - Production Designer
	Eve Ahlert - Writer

New York Times
"...Marc Shaiman's score deftly bends finger-popping lounge jazz with velvety orchestral swoons, while Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography approximates the bold, viscous tones of old-fashioned Technicolor..." 05/09/2003 p.E1

Entertainment Weekly
"...Playfully synthetic....McGregor, who has so much heart that he puts feeling into his jokes, is wonderfully charming..." 05/16/2003 p.49-50

USA Today
"...The real fun lies in its vibrantly hued flair, with a wink and nod to the cheesy fun of Doris Day-Rock Hudson movies like PILLOW TALK..." 05/16/2003 p.4E

Variety
"...Vividly shot....The film offers plenty of visual treats..." 05/12/2003 p.29

Box Office
"...Fortunately, as with everything else in the movie, the casting is a resounding triumph..." 07/01/2003 p.46

Total Film
"...Pitched halfway between tribute and parody, DOWN WITH LOVE expertly replicates the Technicolor excess of the Day/Hudson era..." 11/01/2003 p.89

Sight and Sound
"...The film has an ease of touch that belies the tremendous effort that went into its making..." 11/01/2003 p.41-2

Chicago Sun-Times
"...True to the formula, but with a twist, it's a comic charmer..." 10/03/2003 p.13

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
With Down with Love, director Peyton Reed has addressed the common complaint of old-time film-goers that "they don't make movies the way they used to." This feature is intended to emulate early-1960s sex farces in every way imaginable. The intention is not to parody the genre, but to affectionately re-create the kind of movie that was popularized by Doris Day. Down with Love shows the strong influence of 1959's Pillow Talk and 1961's Lover Come Back, both of which starred Day, Rock Hudson, and Tony Randall, who has a small cameo in this movie. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
Down With Love is no better or worse than the movies that inspired it, but that is a compliment, I think. It recalls a time when society had more rigid rules for the genders, and thus more adventure in transcending them. And it relishes the big scene where a hypocrite gets his comeuppance. The very concept of "comeuppance" is obsolete in these permissive modern times, when few movie characters have a sense of shame and behavior is justified in terms of pure selfishness. Barbara Novak's outrage at sneaky behavior is one of the movie's most refreshing elements from the 1960s--not to say she isn't above a few neat tricks herself. - Roger Ebert