LEAP YEAR
US, 2010, 96 minutes, Colour.
Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, John Lithgow, Adam Scott.
Directed by Anand Tucker.
For years, American film-makers have mistaken Blarney for the whole of Ireland. And that is what they have done here.
A souffle-light (or whatever the Blarney equivalent is) of a story. Amy Adams wants her partner of four years to propose to her – but he is too busy being Dr Big Cardiologist to get round to it. When her father (John Lithgow) reminds her of an old family story which claims that women can propose to men in Ireland on Leap Day, she flies off to Dublin only to strike turbulence, landing in Cardiff and trapped there by stormy weather. She does the obnoxious American thing to all and sundry and demands to be taken to Dublin only to be appropriately rebuffed by Welsh irony. So, she hires a boat and lands, allegedly, in Dingle.
For the Irish and those who have visited Ireland, the geography of this film makes no sense at all! And, because the film-makers see Blarney instead of reality, there are cosy villages of yore, peopled by characters who have overdosed on The Quiet Man!
Since Dr Cardiologist is not worth proposing to, as will be revealed, there has to be someone else to fill the romantic requirements. And, there is. The manager of the local pub who has a chip on his shoulder but who needs the money and decides to drive the American to Dublin (taking many side roads instead of the highways that could have got them there in five hours, and, perhaps to keep her miserable, bypassing Cork into Tipperary). The film then becomes a kind of It Happened One Night in the Blarney backblocks. Matthew Goode is the driver who will eventually propose.
The lightest of date movies.
1.A popular romantic comedy? American style? Old Irish style?
2.A date movie, romance, marriage and proposals?
3.The Boston setting, affluence, the staging of the apartments for prospective clients, the world of conferences and medicine? Wealthy apartments? The contrast with the plane, the sea, whales, the airport, the Dingle coast, the village, the Irish roads, towns? The feel of Ireland? The musical score?
4.The Irish and the Quiet Man style caricatures? The unrealistic geography? A fantasy island?
5.The title, Anna and her father’s story, Anna and Jeremy and their relationship, his going to Dublin for the conference, her decision to go to Dublin, her intention of proposing on Leap Year Day?
6.Anna’s story, her job and being well organised, the staging, the inquiries wanting to buy because of the atmosphere she created? Her relationship with Jeremy, communicating with him, his professional attitude, meals, answering his phone, giving information about surgery? Her friends seeing him coming out of the jeweller’s? Rehearsing for the engagement acceptance? The gift of the earrings, her reaction, his having to go? Meeting with her father, the back-story, his spendthrift ways? The decision to go to Ireland?
7.On the plane, talking to the priest, his going to sleep, the turbulence, landing in Cardiff? The American tourist and her bombastic approach to the staff? Getting a boat, at sea, landing on the stormy beach?
8.An American in Ireland, the accent, high expectations and demands, a colonial attitude? The pub, talking to Declan, asking about the phone, the old man and his comments, Declan and the joke with the phone, her room, small, recharging the battery, the catastrophe in the room?
9.Declan and his type, the way that he treated Anna, the cynical touch, the photo, his debt, agreeing to drive her to Dublin?
10.The film becoming a road movie, the backroads and backblocks of Ireland? Avoiding all the contemporary freeways? The two talking, harsh attitudes towards each other, the radio on and off, the road blocked by the cows, Anna and her moving the cows, getting the manure off her shoe, the car going backwards, crashing? Getting lifts, the men stopping, her suitcase, robbing her? Later encountering them in the pub and Declan fighting and her getting her case back? Her referring to it as Louis for Louis Vuitton? Waiting for the train, going up to the top of the castle, the beauty, the rain, missing the train? The railway man and his taking them to the bed-and-breakfast, the assumption that they were married, the single room, the humour about the bed, the shower? Sharing? Getting the vegetables from the garden, cooking? The Italian guests, the happy meal, the importance of kisses and Anna and Declan having to kiss?
11.Going to Dublin, Anna paying? Declan and his wanting to see his former girlfriend, the meeting, getting the ring back?
12.Meeting Jeremy, the previous phone calls, his attitude, detached, the engagement and his reasons, offhand? Pragmatic? The return to Boston, the lavish apartment, the party, Jeremy and his explanation to his friends about marrying Anna? Her using Declan’s process of having sixty seconds with a fire alarm and deciding what was most precious to take? Jeremy failing the test?
13.Declan at home, meeting his girlfriend, the ring, prospering, the bar, the debt collectors coming, the collection to pay them off?
14.Anna in the pub, Declan being offhand, her going to the cliff, disappointment? His rescuing her, the proposal, the happy ending?
