And it was...okay. Would've been a lot better if it didn't have Dane Cook. In fairness, he's not actually terrible in this movie, I'm just kinda annoyed at the whole fact that he exists. Sorry. But the rest of the extensive ensemble cast is fine, although they're sorta in the background of the story of Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche.... Okay, what the hell, not only can Dane Cook brag he's been in a movie with the esteemed and beautiful Juliette Binoche, but Ms. Binoche has to admit she's been in a movie with Dane Cook. Both of those facts are very, very, wrong!
Anyway, the premise--Steve Carell plays Dan, an advice columnist who makes bad decisions in his own life--has been done, and this doesn't exactly bring anything new. But it's charming enough and generally works. The most remarkable element is his huge extended family--the reason that no one but Carell, Binoche, and Cook (argh!) gets enough screen time. Carell plays a widower with 3 daughters, two old enough that he just can't do right by them. They take the traditional family trip to the Rhode Island vacation house that his parents (John Mahoney and Dianne Wiest) run. Of course, all his siblings (Cook plays his brother Mitch), nieces, and nephews are there, too. He meets and falls for Anne-Marie (Binoche) before he knows that she's already seeing Mitch. And it becomes a very uncomfortable vacation, until finally there's a big confrontation, and he eventually learns to follow his heart. The end. As I said, nothing new, but it works and it's charming.
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