Something Borrowed MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -3

Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, Steve Howey, John Krasinski. Romantic comedy. Written by Jennie Urman and Jordan Roberts . Directed by Luke Greenfield.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a talented attorney at a top New York law firm, a generous and loyal friend and, unhappily, still single…as her engaged best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) is constantly reminding her. But after one drink too many at her 30th birthday party, perpetual good girl Rachel unexpectedly ends up in bed with the guy she’s had a crush on since law school, Dex (Colin Egglesfield), who just happens to be Darcy’s fiancé. When Rachel and Darcy’s lifelong friendship collides with true love, it leads to unexpected complications and potentially explosive romantic revelations. Meanwhile, Ethan (John Krasinski), who has been Rachel’s constant confidante and sometimes conscience, has been harboring a secret of his own, and Marcus (Steve Howey), an irrepressible womanizer, can’t keep his mind out of the gutter or his hands off any girl within reach.

PREVIEW REVIEW: It would be unfair and untrue to blame Hollywood solely for crudity in the culture, but I can’t tell you how often I have viewed screenings of comedies where wit took a back seat to the visual gross-out in order to obtain a laugh. Often today’s movie humor banks on what I call the I-can’t–believe-I-just–saw-that factor. You know, the little old lady giving an obscene gesture, the inebriated spinster suddenly feigning the femme fatale, or the dog romancing an inanimate object. The shock visual is simply easier for many writers than the urbane quip. Well, Something Borrowed tries to have it both ways.

It’s a comedy about the complexities of love, addressing issues such as doing the right thing and putting others first, but it also pushes a me-ism philosophy. It deals with the complexities of human nature, which is a field ripe for the harvesting of humor. But, viewing many of the characters in the film, I wondered how to find any moral compass from them. They each douse their lives with the abuse of alcohol, for which there is no penalty, and each seems to exemplify up-and-comers who place their moral stand on the satisfaction of the moment, and the illusion that self must come first. They’re partiers all, spending much of their social time getting drunk in fancy nightclubs, and though I wouldn’t expect a Hollywood comedy to reveal any spiritual makeup from this new generation of yuppies, this film acknowledges God only through the overkilled phrase “Oh my God.” That colloquialism is uttered here more times than on an episode of Friends. Come to think of it, the film has much in common with the “old” NBC situation comedy, not just in the revelation of its protagonists’ character, but in its shallowness of the story structure.

There are some fun moments in this new offering from Warner Bros. and its comely cast is fun to look at, Kate Hudson in particular. My goodness, that’s a pretty woman. And gifted. Trouble is, Ms. Hudson has never had a film with as much appeal or panache as her debut picture Almost Famous. She always works hard and shows a flair for both comedy and tragedy, but never seems to choose, or maybe she’s never offered a script that equals her talents.

For those of us attempting to develop a spiritual nature, we have to continuously compromise in order to enjoy this film. (Please read the content section.)

Interesting note for film buffs: The cast all resemble stars of the past. Ginnifer Goodwin closely matches Sally Field straight out of Smoky and the Bandit. Colin Egglesfield could easily play the younger brother of Tom Cruise (and, boy, does he take advantage of the resemblance). And Kate Hudson…well, she’s the evolution of that girl from Laugh-In. I thought I’d stepped into a time warp.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Warner Bros.