Head Over Heels A film review by Annette Cardwell Copyright 2001 filmcritic.com
With Freddie Prinze Jr., a perky Julia Roberts-wannabe girl next door, four models, and a comic-relief dog, Head Over Heels has something for everyone. That is if "everyone" is under the age of 18. The rest of us will likely wonder what happened to the need for a decent story or a well-written script, but then again, this movie is not made for the rest of us.
In line with the recent and unbelievably profitable string of lame teen films like Save the Last Dance and Dude, Where's My Car?, Head Over Heels is a train wreck of bad lines and predictable plot twists. Fortunately, all the passengers involved are pretty damn attractive, plus it's occasionally funny (even if the laughs come mostly during the movie's most dramatic, heartfelt moments).
The story begins with good-hearted art restorer Amanda (Monica Potter) breaking up with yet another bad boyfriend and moving into a new apartment with a klatch of supermodels. In the apartment across the way, she spies hunky fashion exec Jim Winston (Prinze) who makes her as weak in the knees as paintings by Titian (yes, that is a good thing). And Jim truly is Mr. Perfect: successful, washboard abs, loves babies, coaches Little League, and even has a hint of vulnerability (he's asthmatic -- awww).
Unfortunately, unlucky Amanda -- in her nightly spate of voyeurism -- spies Jim beating a woman to death. Is her dream man a psycho-killer? Monica and her runway crew do some detective work to find out. Of course, this naturally involves some major, slapstick hijinks. According to the film's Web site, the filmmakers were going for a "Hitchcock-style thriller" played "for laughs." [Hitchcock tried this himself with The Trouble with Harry and that was a pretty miserable film, too. -Ed.]
Obviously, the result is nowhere near the first, and only occasionally does it hit the second goal. But, you're more likely to be eliciting groans instead of chuckles, especially with lines like the one Prinze delivers after his first sexual encounter with Amanda that goes something like, "After tonight, I think I'm moving to a new town: Amandaville." Yep, that Prinze must be a master thespian to keep a straight face while delivering that tripe.
On a positive note, you'll be treated to a decent performance from China Chow as Amanda's sharp-tongued lesbian co-worker, though we don't see nearly enough of her in the film. There are also some shocking non-sequiters thrown into the mix to keep you on your toes. Overall, most of Heels makes Dawson's Creek look like Masterpiece Theater. Judging from the coos and sighs coming from the crowd at this screening (which also screamed and applauded for free Backstreet Boys tickets), that's not likely to matter.
Rating: **
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Mark Waters Producer: Robert Simonds Writer: Ron Burch, David Kidd Starring: Freddie Prinze, Jr., Monica Potter, Shalom Harlow, Ivana Milicevic, Sarah O'Hare, Tomiko Fraser
Web site: http://www.headoverheels.net
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