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Someone Like You (film)
Encyclopedia
Someone Like You is a 2001
romantic comedy film
, based on Laura Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry which tells a story of a heartbroken woman who is looking for the reason she was dumped. The film stars Ashley Judd
, Greg Kinnear
, Hugh Jackman
and Marisa Tomei
and was directed by Tony Goldwyn
. The running time is 97 minutes.
Jane is a production assistant with a talk show that has recently been syndicated, which means that the host Diane Roberts (Ellen Barkin) who wants to be the best, is always looking for the ungettable guests, like Fidel Castro. Eddie Alden (Hugh Jackman) is the producer of the talk show and is a womanizer, much to the dismay of Jane and she comments on his actions with amicable critique.
Eddie is looking for a roommate, but his messages on the bulletin board are sabotaged by disgruntled exes. He wonders whether Jane would like to move in, but she turns him down with a vengeance. Then they meet the new producer of the show Ray Brown (Greg Kinnear), and Jane is immediately smitten. She tells her friend Liz (Marisa Tomei) and discuss her bad luck with men. Meanwhile her sister is trying to get pregnant with a fertility program.
Ray calls Jane and they spend an evening together and end up kissing. The next morning she calls Liz and is ecstatic. Liz gives her some advice as to how to deal with Ray and his girlfriend Dee (with whom he has trouble). Ray and Jane seem to be very much in love. The relationship evolves, and they decide to move in together. Jane puts in her notice; Ray goes to tell his girlfriend that it is over, but doesn't tell her about the new woman in his life.
Ray starts to get distant while Jane is packing to move over, and over dinner he breaks it off, leaving Jane in tears.
The next morning in the office Jane takes her revenge by announcing to move in with Eddie. She learns to deal with the many women in Eddie's life. The two bond over scotch and leftover Asian food. She reads an article about the old cow syndrome and starts researching for her theory of men. Liz works at a magazine for men and needs a columnist and persuades Jane to write a column about her theory, under the pen name Dr. Marie Charles.
The column that deals with the insecurity and dishonesty of men is a big hit. Everybody wants to meet Dr. Charles, so does Diane. At a Christmas party Ray tells her he misses her and asks her out for New Year's Eve, but he stands her up. When Jane shows up at a party looking for Eddie at midnight she can't find him and leaves in tears. Eddie tries to go after her but can't find her.
Back at the office, Ray tries to apologize, but Diane interrupts wearing a shirt Jane bought for Ray. Jane realizes she is "Dee," and Ray is back with her.
A board meeting is going to start and Eddie makes sure Jane isn't crying going in, but Jane is distracted so he covers for her. When Ray shows emotion over a Gérard Depardieu movie, Jane spills her guts over his inability to show empathy for her broken heart.
Diane, unaware of Jane's relationship with Ray, gives her advice on how to win her boyfriend back, telling her how she got hers back.
At a bar Liz follows Dr. Charles advice and is not going to fall for the same kind of guy anymore. Jane and Eddie get into a fight over the advice of Dr. Charles, back home she tells him she has to believe the theory because otherwise she is afraid that men don't leave women - they leave her. Eddie comforts her by saying Ray is not the last man she'll ever love, and they fall asleep together. The next morning Eddie wakes up happy and comfortable while Jane freaks out. Eddie tells her not to analyze this too. He is happy that he slept the whole night with her without it leading to sex. She tells Eddie he will show his true colours and will hurt her some time soon, Eddie tells her it is not about him, but it is her attitude that is the problem. Jane gets a call and it is her brother-in-law telling her that her sister suffered a miscarriage. At the hospital she sees the true love between them and decides to tell Diane that Dr. Charles is going to be on her show.
The interview is meant to be over the telephone, but Jane changes her mind and goes on the stage. She tells the audience that there is no Dr. Charles (we see Eddie leave at this point) and that the theory is ridiculous because she was hurt and needed to blame men for her pain. But not all men are animals, some will be there for you and tell you that Ray isn't the last one you'll ever love. By this time Eddie is long gone.
Jane goes after Eddie and finds him when he is taking a taxi, she gets him out of the taxi and tells him she found new love. He doesn't answer but kisses her with passion, with the dulcet tones of Van Morrison's "Someone Like You" playing in the background.
. All together the movie grossed over $38,689,940 world wide. Rotten Tomatoes consensus was "A light and predictable, if somewhat shallow, romantic comedy that's easy to sit through because of the charming leads." The score among critics was tallied at 41%.
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
, based on Laura Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry which tells a story of a heartbroken woman who is looking for the reason she was dumped. The film stars Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
, Greg Kinnear
Greg Kinnear
Gregory "Greg" Kinnear is an American actor and television personality who first rose to stardom in 1991. He has appeared in more than 20 motion pictures, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in As Good as It Gets.-Early life:Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of...
, Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
and Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
and was directed by Tony Goldwyn
Tony Goldwyn
Anthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn is an American actor and director. He portrayed the villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, Colonel Bagley in The Last Samurai, and the voice of the title character of the Disney animated Tarzan.-Early life:...
. The running time is 97 minutes.
Plot
The movie starts with a voiceover of Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) over the images of a scientific experiment with a bull and a herd of cows, apparently the bull never mounts a cow twice, not even if her scent is changed. He prefers a new cow. Jane tells us that until recently she believed that men are all like the bull, but to understand what happened we have to go back in time.Jane is a production assistant with a talk show that has recently been syndicated, which means that the host Diane Roberts (Ellen Barkin) who wants to be the best, is always looking for the ungettable guests, like Fidel Castro. Eddie Alden (Hugh Jackman) is the producer of the talk show and is a womanizer, much to the dismay of Jane and she comments on his actions with amicable critique.
Eddie is looking for a roommate, but his messages on the bulletin board are sabotaged by disgruntled exes. He wonders whether Jane would like to move in, but she turns him down with a vengeance. Then they meet the new producer of the show Ray Brown (Greg Kinnear), and Jane is immediately smitten. She tells her friend Liz (Marisa Tomei) and discuss her bad luck with men. Meanwhile her sister is trying to get pregnant with a fertility program.
Ray calls Jane and they spend an evening together and end up kissing. The next morning she calls Liz and is ecstatic. Liz gives her some advice as to how to deal with Ray and his girlfriend Dee (with whom he has trouble). Ray and Jane seem to be very much in love. The relationship evolves, and they decide to move in together. Jane puts in her notice; Ray goes to tell his girlfriend that it is over, but doesn't tell her about the new woman in his life.
Ray starts to get distant while Jane is packing to move over, and over dinner he breaks it off, leaving Jane in tears.
The next morning in the office Jane takes her revenge by announcing to move in with Eddie. She learns to deal with the many women in Eddie's life. The two bond over scotch and leftover Asian food. She reads an article about the old cow syndrome and starts researching for her theory of men. Liz works at a magazine for men and needs a columnist and persuades Jane to write a column about her theory, under the pen name Dr. Marie Charles.
The column that deals with the insecurity and dishonesty of men is a big hit. Everybody wants to meet Dr. Charles, so does Diane. At a Christmas party Ray tells her he misses her and asks her out for New Year's Eve, but he stands her up. When Jane shows up at a party looking for Eddie at midnight she can't find him and leaves in tears. Eddie tries to go after her but can't find her.
Back at the office, Ray tries to apologize, but Diane interrupts wearing a shirt Jane bought for Ray. Jane realizes she is "Dee," and Ray is back with her.
A board meeting is going to start and Eddie makes sure Jane isn't crying going in, but Jane is distracted so he covers for her. When Ray shows emotion over a Gérard Depardieu movie, Jane spills her guts over his inability to show empathy for her broken heart.
Diane, unaware of Jane's relationship with Ray, gives her advice on how to win her boyfriend back, telling her how she got hers back.
At a bar Liz follows Dr. Charles advice and is not going to fall for the same kind of guy anymore. Jane and Eddie get into a fight over the advice of Dr. Charles, back home she tells him she has to believe the theory because otherwise she is afraid that men don't leave women - they leave her. Eddie comforts her by saying Ray is not the last man she'll ever love, and they fall asleep together. The next morning Eddie wakes up happy and comfortable while Jane freaks out. Eddie tells her not to analyze this too. He is happy that he slept the whole night with her without it leading to sex. She tells Eddie he will show his true colours and will hurt her some time soon, Eddie tells her it is not about him, but it is her attitude that is the problem. Jane gets a call and it is her brother-in-law telling her that her sister suffered a miscarriage. At the hospital she sees the true love between them and decides to tell Diane that Dr. Charles is going to be on her show.
The interview is meant to be over the telephone, but Jane changes her mind and goes on the stage. She tells the audience that there is no Dr. Charles (we see Eddie leave at this point) and that the theory is ridiculous because she was hurt and needed to blame men for her pain. But not all men are animals, some will be there for you and tell you that Ray isn't the last one you'll ever love. By this time Eddie is long gone.
Jane goes after Eddie and finds him when he is taking a taxi, she gets him out of the taxi and tells him she found new love. He doesn't answer but kisses her with passion, with the dulcet tones of Van Morrison's "Someone Like You" playing in the background.
Cast
- Ashley JuddAshley JuddAshley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
as Jane Goodale, a television show producer who is looking for love and the problems men have with giving it. - Greg KinnearGreg KinnearGregory "Greg" Kinnear is an American actor and television personality who first rose to stardom in 1991. He has appeared in more than 20 motion pictures, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in As Good as It Gets.-Early life:Kinnear was born in Logansport, Indiana, the son of...
as Ray Brown, the shows hunky executive producer. He dumps Jane right before they were supposed to move in together. - Hugh JackmanHugh JackmanHugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
as Eddie Alden, a womanizing coworker of Jane's. - Marisa TomeiMarisa TomeiMarisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
as Liz, Jane's best friend. - Ellen BarkinEllen BarkinEllen Barkin is an American film, television and theatre actress.-Early life:She was born Ellen Rona Barkin in Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York, the daughter of Evelyn , a hospital administrator who worked at Jamaica Hospital, and Sol Barkin, a chemical salesman...
as Diane Roberts, the star talent of Jane's show. - Catherine DentCatherine DentCatherine Dent is an American actress who has starred in film and in television. Her first feature film was the 1994 movie Nobody's Fool....
as Alice, Jane's sister. - Peter FriedmanPeter FriedmanPeter Friedman is an American stage, film and television actor.Born in New York City, Friedman graduated from Hofstra University before making his Broadway debut in The Great God Brown in 1972...
as Stephen, Alice's husband.
Reception
The film opened at #2 at the North American box office making $10,010,600 in its opening weekend, behind Spy KidsSpy Kids
The Spy Kids series is a series of family action adventure films written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The main plot follows the adventures of two Cortez children who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are spies as well, including their estranged...
. All together the movie grossed over $38,689,940 world wide. Rotten Tomatoes consensus was "A light and predictable, if somewhat shallow, romantic comedy that's easy to sit through because of the charming leads." The score among critics was tallied at 41%.