Catch and Release (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  A woman whose fiancee recently died learns that he had a child with another woman. I only rented this film to see Kevin Smith, and he wasn't bad, even capable of handling a heavy, dramatic scene. Jennifer Garner was also occasionally good. But nothing can rescue the story. The… More
  A woman whose fiancee recently died learns that he had a child with another woman. I only rented this film to see Kevin Smith, and he wasn't bad, even capable of handling a heavy, dramatic scene. Jennifer Garner was also occasionally good. But nothing can rescue the story. The bottom line is that I have absolutely no idea what draws Gray to Fritz, and if I see one more film in which a woman slaps a man, then is thwarted when she tries to slap him twice more with alternating hands before he pins her against a wall and they begin making out, I'm going to try to get slapped more often. And there's an oppressive unevenness to the film made worse by the mix CD of indie songs that seem to be squeezed into the film. Overall, Catch and Release is not a good film because the motivations of the main characters are more mysterious than the reason that nobody ever kisses after getting hit.

• Bethany M

  
  It was an ok film!

• Richard C

  
  this sucks. D

• Dean L

  
  After reading Kevin Smith's Diary, "My Boring Ass Life" I felt compelled to watch this movie as he chronicles some of his time making it (for which he took some guff from the studios for revealing too much). Smith was fun to watch as he was primarily playing himself.… More
  After reading Kevin Smith's Diary, "My Boring Ass Life" I felt compelled to watch this movie as he chronicles some of his time making it (for which he took some guff from the studios for revealing too much). Smith was fun to watch as he was primarily playing himself. Garner, a true natural beauty who I defy you not to love. The movie...not so much. I was almost angry watching the character inconsistencies, the obvious plot trends, the cliches. The start was very heartfelt and had promise, but it quickly devolved into just so much tripe. I really do not know what we were watching with Jennifer Garner's character, "Gray." She turns into something wholly different from the beginning of the film to the end and even while the metamorphosis may have been part of the journey and process the moves are so jumpy and without precipitant as well as by a route that is so very nonsensical that the destination makes no sense and just leaves one with no idea what any of the characters are about. None of the character decisions make any sense in the context of development and are totally devoid of discernable motive. The backdrop is spectacular (Vancouver pretending to be Colorado). Some of the performances were memorable (primarily Smith and Garner), but I simply cannot recommend this movie as anything more than, "fair" to "unsatisfying."

• Red L

  
  The living arrangements of Gray (Jennifer Garner) and all her fiancé's friends -- even her fiancé's best friend is somewhat strange - they all live together in a house. This movie is great -- the type where everyone grows up a bit during the movie. I saw it a second time… More
  The living arrangements of Gray (Jennifer Garner) and all her fiancé's friends -- even her fiancé's best friend is somewhat strange - they all live together in a house. This movie is great -- the type where everyone grows up a bit during the movie. I saw it a second time a year after the first, and enjoyed it more the second time. Its amazing how much I forgot though.

• Jon L

  
  Poorly written. I felt depressed, even though I don't think that's what the intent was.

• Dean M

  
  Kevin Smith, better known as the director (and actor) of classic cult films such as <i>Clerks</i> and <i>Mallrats</i>, proves that Silent Bob has silenced for good as he upstages co-star Jennifer Garner in this romantic comedy-drama. He's so hilarious.

• James A

  
  So bland and typical. I would have gave it one star for KEvin Smith's performance but the movie is so bad it negates that too.

• Jason S

  
  It was a nice story and the actors did a good job but it fell a little flat for me. It seemed like there was a lot of things picked up and then put down for no reason. For me at least it didn't feel like a complete story but more of a glimpse into the randomness of these… More
  It was a nice story and the actors did a good job but it fell a little flat for me. It seemed like there was a lot of things picked up and then put down for no reason. For me at least it didn't feel like a complete story but more of a glimpse into the randomness of these peoples lives.

• Leigh R

  
  It was a cute romantic comedy. Nothing too special about it, but it wasn't horrific either.

• Rachel F

  
  One of my most favorite movies of all time. It was GREAT!!!! Everyone who loves happy endings should see this movie. Plus its hilarious.

• Nate Z

  
  [CENTER][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9269/jennifergarner1ee3.jpg[/img][/CENTER] [COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial][I]Catch and Release[/I] may in fact have the most bizarre meet-cute in movie history. Gray (Jennifer Garner) is mourning the loss of Grady, the man that would have… More
  [CENTER][img]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9269/jennifergarner1ee3.jpg[/img][/CENTER] [COLOR=DarkRed][FONT=Arial][I]Catch and Release[/I] may in fact have the most bizarre meet-cute in movie history. Gray (Jennifer Garner) is mourning the loss of Grady, the man that would have been her husband. She seeks a refuge from all the well-wishers and lies down in a bathtub with the shower curtain drawn. Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), one of the deceased’s best friends, enters the room with a female caterer. They position themselves against a wall and engage in some opportune sex. Gray is trapped and forced to hear the whole thing. The caterer keeps screaming, “Sock it to me” in increasing orgiastic pleasure. I was waiting for some more 1950s hipster dirty talk, like, “Lay it in me, Daddy-O.” Eventually the sex comes to an end and Fritz lights up a post-coital cigarette. But then Gray flings the shower curtain back. Aha! It’s boy meets girl in the most preposterous fashion, but that’s [I]Catch and Release[/I] for you, a romantic comedy with enough to be different but still too limited to become anything other than a lukewarm date movie. Now absent one less earner, Gray is forced to move into a house occupied by Sam (Kevin Smith) and Dennis (Sam Jaeger). They were friends of Gray’s ex as well. Then life proceeds to give Gray a series of curveballs. She discovers that her dead fiancé had over a million dollars in the bank and an 8-year-old son with another woman (Juliet Lewis), a flighty New Age massage therapist. Grady might not have been the same man Gray thought she was set to have and to hold (her married name would have been Gray Grady?). Things get off to an interesting start. The proposed wedding party has been transformed into a wake. Then as she is trying to cope with loss and put the pieces of her life together she’s further undone by revelation after revelation of secrets her ex kept from her. That’s pretty dark for a usual airy genre but also a pretty interesting setup for something different. [I]Catch and Release[/I] flirts with being unconventional but then is on a fairly predictable trajectory once its promise settles down and completely dissolves. Thankfully, despite all the doom and gloom there isn’t any grating sense of whininess. The perspective feels knowing and in search of wisdom through life’s unexpected calamities. Writer/director Susannah Grant ([I]Erin Brockovich[/I], [I]Ever After[/I]) has a worthy adult sensibility that helps make the film feel a bit more credible and less like an inane melodrama. [I]Catch and Release[/I] feels less pre-programmed and unlike most paint-by-numbers romantic comedies, and yet it still wears the weight of its genre around its neck and can never take a step forward without taking two backwards. There’s ample opportunity for a romantic comedy that begins at the literal end of a relationship, with the widow discovering more than she ever knew about her dearly departed (a rom-com version of [I]The Constant Gardener[/I]? Call me, Hollywood). However, the movie seems too content to walk the same beaten path many have before it. It may be nothing more than a throwaway genre movie but it got my hopes up that it could have been something more. I feel spurned and betrayed, somewhat like Gray must have felt. [I]Catch and Release[/I] is a hit-and-miss date movie that can never really reel in what it wants to do. The film has some somewhat inspired moments but is also dominated by romantic comedy clichés and sitcom generalizations when it comes to its characters and setting. Of course the nice guy has had a lifelong crush on Gray. Of course the fat guy is also funny and rude. And of course we’re going to house all of these people under one roof so it will produce plenty of Gray-Fritz interactions that will lead to their eventual coupling. Plus, who could forget the classic eleventh hour misunderstanding followed by the pursuit that ends in a glib line like, “What took you so long?” The movie seems to be trying too hard to make Fritz seem like a suitable replacement when we never really know much about him. He’s kind of sleazy and he knows it, but when exactly does he become likeably sleazy? Their union feels forced and unrealistic, even by romantic comedy standards. It also feels like Grant named Garner’s character Gray just so she could include this passage: Gray: What’s your favorite color? Fritz: Gray. This prompted an entire row of teenage girls to go “ahhhhh” in my theater. I wanted to laugh, but then I was grossly outnumbered in my theater; there may have been a mere three additional members of the XY set in attendance. [I]Catch and Release[/I] is mostly a grab bag of other romantic comedies. It doesn’t even know what to do with the fly fishing metaphor it valiantly tries to lift into some deeper meaning. I don’t get it myself. Gray says that her dead ex was always a “catch and release” man; does this mean he never had the heart to finish off his prey, or that he was too sympathetic with struggling creatures? It doesn’t matter what the metaphor attempts are because it allows for the cast to put on their rubber boots and wade in the cool waters of predictability. At least only one character works in the usual romantic comedy job pool (publishing, advertising, theater). Though Sam does come up with quotes for boxes. Garner is such a winning actress but still finding her stride. She’s being positioned to fill the void of Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts, which is fine, but when I see her more as a modern Sigourney Weaver, someone who can excel in light comedy but also kick your ass when the time came. Gray’s world goes into upheaval and Garner is up to the task balancing emotion and wry life observations, but too often there’s little else for her to do but pout or crinkle her eyebrows. Her cheekbones certainly get quite a workout in [I]Catch and Release[/I] but I wouldn’t exactly call that dramatic acting. I have been a fan of Olyphant since 1999’s[I] Go[/I]. He’s always had a scary sexiness to him, and works best playing assholes you just can’t help but love. Grant totally drops the ball on his character. Fritz is behind the eight ball early and never really recovers when it comes to audience loyalty. Olyphant is also given a problematic shaggy haircut that manages to neutralize his natural alluring danger and still make him seem aloof. His role is a stock role, nothing more. Thank God for Kevin Smith. Grant wisely chose Silent Bob as her comic relief and Smith has such natural laid back charm and great timing that he should get more acting gigs full time. His presence is deeply missed when he steps offstage and the film returns back to its familiar roots. I don’t know why Grant has Sam eating or making food, or talking about eating in almost every scene. After the fourth scene in a row where Sam has a chicken leg in his fist, it gets tiresome, like she defined a character by hunger. Smith has the best scenes and the best chemistry, whether it’s with Garner, Lewis, or a little kid. I think someone should cast Kevin Smith as the lead of a romantic comedy. Now that’s an unconventional date movie I’d pay to see. [I]Catch and Release[/I] has some glimmers of promise before succumbing to the weight of the romantic comedy genre. The movie just cannot get past mounting clichés and shallow characters, plus some fairly contrived situations like the bizarre meet-cute. Garner and her dimples will survive to enchant another day. At the end of the day,[I] Catch and Release[/I] is just like any other romantic comedy movie, and there’s plenty more of those in the sea. Nate’s Grade: C+[/FONT][/COLOR]

• Mike N

  
  Don't mind me. But please, comment on the films! (including 3 oddly fresh in-flight movies) Yes, I saw Pirates. I am including that in the next entry shortly. I will tell you how I feel if you tell me how you feel first. About the movie.

• Dannielle A

  
  Poop.

• Daniel P

  
  Very mildly diverting romantic drama that starts out promisingly, but Susannah Grant's lack of confidence in her story means she results to new age clichés, out-of-character kookiness and over reliance on an achingly hip (and already dated) soundtrack. Jennifer Garner and Timothy… More
  Very mildly diverting romantic drama that starts out promisingly, but Susannah Grant's lack of confidence in her story means she results to new age clichés, out-of-character kookiness and over reliance on an achingly hip (and already dated) soundtrack. Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant put in basic performances, Juliette Lewis and Kevin Smith are fun but belong in a different film. For a better exploration of grief, watch <i>Moonlight Mile</i>.

• Yinalí R

  
  Liked the movie very much...I imagined myself in her shoes...

• ashley h

  
  i liked the kevin smith character,but the movie just went awry after a while.I didn't like the guy she ended up with either

• Andrew F

  
  It was really predictable and kind of cheesy, but it wasn't terrible.

• William G

  
  Emotionally hollow and seemingly unending.

• Marcus W

  
  So there I am on an eight hour flight to China. I couldn't leave my seat because there was nowhere to go. I couldn't go to sleep because I wasn't tired. I couldn't read because I had nothing to read. And I couldn't watch something else because this was Air… More
  So there I am on an eight hour flight to China. I couldn't leave my seat because there was nowhere to go. I couldn't go to sleep because I wasn't tired. I couldn't read because I had nothing to read. And I couldn't watch something else because this was Air China. It was at that moment I came to realise why the meal was served with plastic cutlery.

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