Film Review: Down with Love (2003)

Late 1950s and early 1960s represent one of the more interesting periods of US history, at least after Mad Men began to approach it from the perspective quite different from Boomer nostalgia. Those included certain aspects of popular culture Boomers were too young to consume or understand, like Hollywood “sex comedies”, a very specific subgenre of romantic comedies that walked the fine line between “hip” modern sexual innuendos and traditional constraints embodied in censorship of MPAA Production Code. Those comedies are given a loving homage in Down with Love, 2003 romantic comedy directed by Peyton Reed.

The plot is set in 1962 New York City and begins when Barbara Novak (played by Renee Zelwegger), an aspiring writer, promotes her book Down with Love which calls for women to abandon their devotion to men and commitment and instead dedicate themselves to careers. This doesn’t sit well with Catcher Block (played by Ewan McGregor), popular magazine writer and notorious womaniser, who represents exactly the type of man Novak has rallied against her and whose lifestyle gets affected when his prospective romantic conquests start taking Novak’s advice. He decides to take reveal Novak as ordinary woman who actually wants traditional love and marriage and decides to seduce her by posing as an astronaut. His scheme gets complicated when his best friend and boss Peter McManus (played by David Hyde Pierce) becomes involved with Barbara’s editor and best friend Vikki Hiller (played by Sarah Paulson).

There are light comedies, there are feather-light comedies and there are comedies with lightness that represent category unto themselves, like Down with Love. Script by Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake is concerned with anything “deep” or “heavy”. Unlike so many Hollywood films that were enthusiastically conforming to the standards of “political correctness”, even when depicting past like Far from Heaven, this film does so in rather superficial manner, making the film as feminist as 1960s films used to be feminist. The only concession to present day sentiments are few references to homosexuality, something which used to be very much a taboo during the period. Instead, the script takes rather standard approach towards love, romance and marriage, trying to end the battle of the sexes by finding middle ground between feminist Barbara Novak and macho playboy Catcher Block.

But ideology and political messages are probably going to be ignored by most of the audience. And they were definitely ignored by the authors, more interested in delivering old fashioned romantic comedy with extra goodies for cinephiles interested in sometimes neglected period of Hollywood history. Peyton Reed, director known for his knack for light comedy, directs Down with Love very much in style of 1960s film and uses relatively large budget to reconstruct the period in the way it was depicted in sex comedies of the period. That includes outrageous costumes, props and music by Marc Shaiman, which, on the other hand, make this film look and sound very different from early seasons of Mad Men that depicted same era with much more realism. Trying to make this film as authentic early 1960s sex comedy as possible includes casting. Renee Zellwegger and Ewan McGregor play characters obviously modelled on those who have been played by Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Same can be said of David Hyde Peirce who tries to channel Tony Randall, a character actor who used to play supporting characters in those film. Randall, who died a year after premiere, actually appears in the Down with Love. Zellwegger and McGregor have great chemistry together and make this film delightful example of romantic comedy Hollywood doesn’t make any more. Down with Love, despite its stellar cast, failed to connect with the audience and became one of the relatively obscure films of its time. And this is quite the shame, because Down with Love actually represents one of the best instances of 21st Century Hollywood paying homage to its glorious past.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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