SERVING SARA
US, 2002, and 99 minutes, Colour.
Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Vincent Pastore, Bruce Campbell, Cedric the Entertainer, Amy Adams, Terry Crews, Jerry Stiller.
Directed by Reginald Hudlin.
Serving Sara is a romantic comedy, capitalising on the popularity of Matthew Perry and his long television presence on Friends, as well as of British model, Elizabeth Hurley. The husband is The Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell. The supporting cast includes Cedric the Entertainer in an early film as well as a surprise with Amy Adams as the calculating girlfriend – and it is she who has had the most successful career. There is a comic interlude with Jerry Stiller as a venal policeman.
The title indicates that Matthew Perry’s character, Joe, serves summonses, employed by Cedric the Entertainer, with Vincent Pastore as his rival, undermining his work by word warning people against him in advance. While he tries to serve Sara, the tables are turned as she does a deal with him as he suggests serving her husband in Texas. This means a shift of locations, the wide open spaces in Texas, the ranches, an extended comic interlude where Matthew Perry pretends to be a vet and has to stimulate a bull for a semen specimen.
On the whole, while the film is entertaining on screen, it is fairly slight.
1. A romantic comedy for thirtysomethings? Divorce, infidelity, the law?
2. A New York story, atmosphere, Mafia connections, wealthy mansions, floor offices? The contrast with Texas, the city, the hotels, the ranches and properties? Musical score?
3. The cast, from television, British, Amy Adams coming up…?
4. Matthew Perry as Joe, the background of Friends? His story of being a lawyer, serving the papers, with the Mafia connections, the confrontation, his confidence, later being bashed? Ray as his employer, the different jobs, Tony and the rivalry, Tony and his undermining Joe’s work?
5. The title, the big job, the money? Tony and his exasperation? Phoning and warning? Sara, her personality, her relationship with her husband, in New York, Joe and intruding into the house, Sara and her avoiding him?
6. Sara’s husband, with her? Then with his girlfriend? The girlfriend’s attitude, a golddigger, the husband selling his property, her wanting a settlement, his lawyer and the warnings? The girlfriend and the setup, her tricking Joe?
7. Joe and Sara, the change of idea, the bargain, the note, offering him $1 million? Joe and dealing with the policeman, information and bribes? his feeding the false information to Tony, Tony going to Florida, to Maine, to Dallas?
8. The couple arriving in Dallas, the setup for the husband, Sara and anger, the warning, his getting away, further complications and adventures?
9. At the hotel, the demarcation on the bed, the sympathy between the two? On the road, going to the farm, seeing the husband and his wanting to sell
the property, Joe and his pretending to be the vet, the issue with the bull, the comedy of his getting the sample, the aftermath?
10. The husband, getting the tough man on the case, the pursuit?
11. Ray, the complications, rainy New York, the phone calls from Joe, the phone calls to Tony? Thinking that everything was settled – and the issue of the time difference?
12. Joe, the clash with Sara, the girlfriend in the bar, doing the deal with Joe, his being tricked?
13. Going to the stock car event, the crashes, the husband and the notice on the screen about his infection, everybody feeling, isolating him, and his continued concern about his hat?
14. Tony, the tough, their crashing and being carried out?
15. The happy ending – romantic ending?
