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Last January, Miramax struck gold with a teen comedy based on the tale of `Pygmalion.' She's All That opened to decent reviews and an amazing $16 million, eventually taking in over $63 million as well as garnering two MTV Movie Award nominations. That starred up-and-comers Freddie Prinze, Jr. and that girl from the anti-heroin commercial that smashes the egg with the frying pan.
Firm believers that lightning can strike twice, Miramax is back with a new January teen comedy with Prinze. The film, Down to You, is refreshing in the fact that it places its young stars in college rather than the typical high school setting. But in doing so, it tries to be too adult and comes off as a failed attempt at making Annie Hall for the Gen-Y crowd. The film also suffers from both a really bad set-up and a complete lack of a proper ending.
You opens with aspiring chef Al Connelly (Prinze, Wing Commander) in a New York coffee shop. As he watches a young couple pawing at each other, Al explains his story of true love. He does this by delivering his lines right into the camera, which makes the whole thing seem like a hemorrhoid commercial. So the whole film is a flashback, being told by Al as he waits in line to get a double mocha latte.
Al launches into the tale of how he first met the girl of his dreams, which is one of the more bizarre tales I can recall in a mainstream movie. He's in a seedy bar with his two pals Eddie and Monk (Shawn Hatosy, Outside Providence, and Zak Orth, Snow Falling on Cedars), who are arguing about their sexual stamina. Monk is a well-endowed rising star in the porn world and Eddie thinks he has both the girth and vigor to break into the business as well. A bet is made involving a bar slag (Rosario Dawson, Light it Up) and, as a result, Al is left without a bed for the evening. When the college sophomore complains about his lack of sleeping accommodations, Monk points Al toward a wispy freshman that, of course, turns out to be Ms. Right.
The babe is Imogen (Julia Stiles, 10 Things I Hate About You) – not Imogene – a first-year student interesting in pursuing an arts career. She's gorgeous until she opens her mouth, revealing a voice like a forty-year-old and a maw full of crooked, yellow-tinted fangs. It sounds like she's had a three-pack-a-day habit since kindergarten, which would explain her discolored teeth. The two hit it off way too easily and before long Al is introducing Imogen to his television chef dad (Henry Winkler, The Waterboy) and disc jockey mom (Lucie Arnaz). I wonder what the late Freddie Prinze, Sr. would think of the Fonz playing his kids screen pop.
As expected, their relationship momentarily turns sour when Imogen spends a summer in France, but don't worry – things work out. The structure of the film is of bigger concern, namely when the two lovebirds flashback to their first kisses and high school squeezes. Can you flashback within a flashback? Then there is the equally troubling moment when Imogen starts to co-narrate the film with Al. How's that work? You can't just jump in and hijack the voice-over. Al is clearly the main character in the film, so butt out.
You is the feature film debut of Kris Isacsson, an assistant to Barbra Streisand for The Mirror has Two Faces. Isacsson also wrote the screenplay, which features some pretty frank sexual dialogue for a PG-13 film. Also of note is the fact that the characters are rarely without a drink in their hands, despite the fact that they're all underage. Also look for the hilarious Ashton Kutcher (Kelso from That ‘70s Show) who plays a guy named Jim Morrison.
1:40 – PG-13 for adult language, sexual content and underage drinking
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