movies I saw on planes or Must Hate Dogs

Here is a mini review of the movies I saw on the way to and from Rio. I'm writing it mostly so I can be snarky about one movie in particular, but I'll save that for a little later.

First, I saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I didn't see this movie in the theatre, and now I'm sorry that I didn't because I really enjoyed it. In fact I enjoyed it so much, I watched it twice (that and I can't really sleep on planes). It's just what you would expect, fantastical and silly, but the banter is really quite enjoyable, and I don't know where else you could find such a good looking couple.

Next I watched Batman Begins which I was excited to see after hearing good things about it all summer. Unfortunately, it didn't agree with me. I thought it was a bit boring, and I can't fathom why Gary Oldman took the part of earnest policeman. I actually fell asleep during this movie, so maybe I should be grateful to it.

Okay, that was the trip to Rio. On the way back I had been hoping for Bewitched which we had seen offered in the on-flight magazine earlier, but I was disappointed. Instead we had A Lot Like Love, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Must Love Dogs (guess which one I want to be snarky about? Just guess.)

First I watched A Lot Like Love because I knew Ty Giordano in it. I expected to hate it (I don't like Amanda Peet), but I didn't. It had it's moments (especially the scenes with Ty). Then I watched the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and wished I had watched more of it. Then I watched Must Love Dogs. Big mistake.

I thought, "well, I like Diane Lane and John Cusack, so how bad can it be, really?" Well, they showed me. Here's a list of reasons to hate this movie:

1. Diane Lane would NEVER have to resort to internet dating to meet guys in any universe. I'm sorry, but some things are to absurd to be believed, even for a couple of hours.
2. John Cusack plays a boat builder who never sells any boats, and pays alimony, yet he has a huge, nicely furnished house, and no side job. Do you see an income source, because I don't.
3. The entire premise of this movie is that the worst possible situation that one can find themselves in is being single. It never occurs to anyone in the movie that Diane and John could just, I don't know, be single for a while? Instead Diane registers with every online dating service known to man, and goes out with seemingly anyone who responds in desperate attempts to avoid being SINGLE. Not only do I find this very offensive as a single person, I also find it disheartening. If Diane Lane can't find a date, what hope have I? And this movie is marketed as a comedy!!
4. I don't really like dogs that much.

The only highlight of this movie that I can think of is seeing the cast sing the theme song to the Partridge Family. That was funny.