In the summer of 2006, the trendy thing to
do among proclaimed romantic comedies—I’m
speaking specifically of The Break Up and
You, Me, and Dupree, here—has been to
void oneself of both romance and comedy.
Audiences have witnessed startling efforts of
realism plague the genre, even when there’s
nothing real about the film in question’s plot
or characters. Ivan Reitman’s late-July
confection, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, is a
welcome digression back into the territory of
breezy fun within the constraints of the
romantic-comedy name. Starring Uma Thurman and
Luke Wilson as mis-matched love-interests—she’s
a super-hero and he’s an average-Joe—the movie
is amusingly forgettable in just about every way
possible.
For the most part,
My Super Ex-Girlfriend blends the adventure
and romantic-comedy genres effortlessly. The
action scenes involving Thurman’s super-hero
alter-ego G-Girl, who regularly lives under the
quiet cover of art-gallery-employee Jenny
Johnson, are perfectly paced and feature some
intentionally (and pleasantly) campy
special-effects. Meanwhile, the film bodes
equally as well with its softer-side, in which
G-Girl and Wilson’s Matt Saunder’s share a rocky
relationship. Director Reitman’s approach in
creating a multi-faceted movie works
particularly in displaying the dilemma that Matt
faces when he realizes his desire to break up
with his crazy, powerful super-girlfriend and
express his true love for co-worker Hannah Lewis
(Anna Farris).
However, despite My
Super Ex-Girlfriend’s ingenious execution of
its material, it would be impossible for me to
declare that it’s anything more than a
light-weight, see-it-and-forget-it kind of a
movie. I was amused by its original spin on a
tired formula, but I never became particularly
involved in the story or cared about the
characters. But, then again, the film never
really wants to do much more than offer a
shallow, but amusing entertainment-experience.
Thurman and Wilson smile through their roles
and, clocking in at a mere hour and thirty-five
minutes, My Super Ex-Girlfriend never
overstays its welcome. It may not be the perfect
film to pay the full price of admission to see,
but it’s always diverting at the least.
-Danny, Bucket Reviews (7.27.2006)
