Kate and Leopold

Review by By Clint Morris

Gelatine sweet, but still somewhat deficient, the latest Meg Ryan romantic comedy Kate and Leopold is part Peggy Sue Got Married, a little Somewhere in Time, and a lot Meg Ryan.

And, as preposterous as the film sometimes is, James Mangold's script shows some real magic at epoch, it's just unfortunate the fairy dust wasn't sprinkled on the entire film.

The Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman) faces a challenge… whom should he marry? Before he even needs to make a pronouncement though, loopy-scientist Stuart (Liev Schrieber) enters his existence and drops him in modern-day America. How is a man from the past going to cope in a world hundreds of years his senior?

Market Researcher, Kate (Meg Ryan) lives upstairs from ex-boyfriend Stuart and inquisitively investigates the strange man in her formers abode. Naturally, Kate perceives the man as one of Stuart's equally frivolous pals - perhaps a member of a Sgt. Pepper tribute band - but progressively she becomes to realise The Duke may not be of this world or time. After all, he's well mannered, polite to women and eats with a knife and fork. Shock horror!

With the aid of her younger brother, Charlie (Breckin Meyer), Kate finds herself with an unlikely suitor. One who will inescapably pull on her heartstrings, but then let go just as he is expected to return to his time.

As much a battle of British and American values as it is a time-travelling piece, Kate and Leopold works on several levels.

The Goodness of the characters is an all-too rare element. Liev Schrieber's Stuart realises that his former love belongs in the arms of another man, and eventually puts his own nutty oddity second to the doting couple.

Breckin Meyer's Charlie is as un-N.Y as could be, who also plays a part in making his big sister's dreams come true.

Ryan and Jackman, whilst quite syrupy together, are the most inapt coupling since Stallone and Stone: they're totally immersed in their respective roles of a modern day power chick and vintage-time Duke, but sadly the spark that's apparently evident between their characters isn't visible to the viewer.

Still, when one imagines Ryan's regular turncoat, Tom Hanks, in such a role, complete with broad Brit accent and dampish get-up, Jackman and Ryan, as a couple, are most welcome.

3 out of 5

Kate and Leopold
Australian release: Commences Thursday 14th March across Australia
Cast: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schrieber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne, Philip Bosco, Bradley Whitford.
Director: James Mangold.
Website: Click here

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