'Something' makes up in cast, length what it lacks in premise

Reel Reflections Movie Review

Jack Nicholson ("As Good As It Gets") and Diane Keaton ("The First Wives Club") shine as the stars of "Something's Gotta Give," a romantic comedy about finding love during middle age. The film is well cast, superbly acted and contains surprisingly witty dialogue. However, the premise is a stretch, the plot is predictable and the movie is entirely too long.

Keaton plays divorcee Erica Barry, a successful playwright. One afternoon, she arrives at her beach house to find her daughter Marin (Amanda Peet, "Identity") with Harry Sanborn (Nicholson), an older playboy.

When Sanborn suddenly suffers a heart attack while in the heat of the moment with Marin, Erica and her daughter rush him to the hospital. His doctor, Julian Mercer, (Keanu Reeves, "The Matrix: Revolutions") recommends that Sanborn recover at Erica's home. Forced to spend time together, Sanborn is surprised to find himself falling for Erica, but Dr. Mercer, who was lovestruck from the moment he recognized the famous playwright's name, also is vying for her attention.

Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, ("The Parent Trap"), "Something's Gotta Give" is worthwhile because of Keaton's and Nicholson's witty banter and onscreen chemistry make the movie humorous and appealing. Together, Erica and Sanborn rediscover companionship. The film sets out to prove that old dogs can learn new tricks and find happiness simultaneously.

But, while the first half of the movie is funny and engaging, the second half drags. After Erica and Sanborn fall for each other, the action withers. The rest of the movie is filled with pointless plot complications that seem only to draw out the inevitable conclusion. The movie loses momentum and feels longer than necessary.

The premise of the film, a man falling for his girlfriend's mother, is hard to buy. The mother and daughter love triangle with the same man is "magically" resolved with unsettling convenience, as is demonstrated by Marin's graceful release of Sanborn into the arms of her mother. And Dr. Mercer almost inexplicably is attracted to Erica the instant he sees her, but it is unclear how or why. His character seems to exist solely to cause a disturbance in the happy couple's relationship, thus marring the otherwise tidy plot line.

Although the film's skillful cast is mired in the muck of an implausible plot, the film's wit carries it to screen-worthy safety.