This one could go either way, folks.
I read this book years ago and liked it very much, although I really remember nothing about it, which is unusual for me. I started it on a plane from London to Salzburg because my friend Alison loaned it to me (Hi, Alison!) as I had forgotten to bring any reading material and would otherwise face a plane ride attempting to read airplane safety cards in German or annoying my friends who were trying to read. So, anyway, I started this book and thought it was going to be Judith Krantz-esque, but found it very engrossing. And then, when I heard they were making a movie about it, I thought it sounded like an interesting idea and when I found out they were casting Eric Bana, I eagerly looked forward to looking at Eric Bana (so broody and handsome!) for 2 hours.
However, the trailer leaves me a little unenthusiastic. The first strike against it is that it features some wailing rock song about “FALLin’ APART!” that sounds like it might be The Fray and already I feel like I am watching an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” I don’t think it is The Fray, though, which is almost worse because it is clearly some B-version of The Fray. Bleh.
The little girl playing the younger version of Rachel McAdams has strawberry-blonde hair and Rachel McAdams has dark brown hair. Sometimes, our hair darkens when we get younger, but come ON, can we have some hair consistency here, people? I will forgive this if there is some reference to her character making trips to a colorist, but otherwise, SOME OF US NOTICE THESE THINGS.
The trailer also does not show any particularly interesting incidents that I am sure the book contains. It’s mostly Rachel voice-overing about “waiting for Henry … for my entire life … ” and gasping and breathily proclaiming, “It’s you!” when he appears. In fact, both actors seem to be delivering their lines primarily in a low, breathy voice. Bana sounds like Jack Donaghy from “30 Rock.”
The moment of levity in the trailer is Eric Bana asking Rachel McAdams if she will marry him, while she is lying in a hospital bed or something and she says, “No,” and then pauses and says, “I didn’t mean that,” as Eric breathes a sigh of relief and she giggles hysterically. I hope there are funnier things in this movie than this scene because that’s … not funny.
And there are weddings and Christmases and a pregnancy and Eric Bana keeps disappearing and Rachel gets weepy and they run to one another in a field and they’re “FALLin’ APART!!!!!!!!!!!!” I will likely see this movie, and I covet Rachel’s hair and outfits, but the trailer makes this movie look utterly generic, which is unfortunate because the book was interesting. Even the poster is utterly generic. Look:
Blah?
