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The Main Characters
--Ollie Trinkie (Ben Affleck) was a very successful publicist in New York City when he meets and wed Gertrude. They have a child but she dies during delivery. He is left alone and his job crumbles under the weight of being an only parent. He moves back to Jersey with young daughter to live with his father.
--Gertie Trinkie (Raquel Castro) is Ollie’s daughter. She is very happy living in Jersey with her father and grandfather. She loves hearing stories about the mother she lost.
--Maya (Liv Tyler) works at a video store that Ollie and Trinkie frequent. She becomes interested in Ollie’s situation and befriends the two of them.
--Bart Trinkie (George Carlin) is Ollie’s lovable father. He lets Ollie and Gertie move in with him when things go bad for Ollie and his job.
--Gertrude Steiney (Jennifer Lopez) is Ollie’s wife who dies while giving birth to their daughter.
The Setting
New York City and of course, New Jersey.
The Plot
7 years ago, Ollie met Gertrude. Ollie was a successful publicist in New York City while Gertrude does something (I forget but it’s not too important). Anyway, things are going great for Ollie, his job is great, he’s happy and his wife has a kid on the way. Of course, things go badly REAL quick when his wife dies giving birth. He basically entrusts his daughter to his father, Bart, who raises the child for a few months while Ollie basically shuns his fatherly duties. Bart says enough is enough and leaves the baby in Ollie’s care while he goes to work. Ollie has a big publicity thing to do that day and loses his cool, makes fun of Will Smith and gets fired. He has to take care of her now, while working for the New Jersey road workers or something. We fast-forward a few years as Ollie is trying to get his new job back and Gertie is about 7 years old. They manage to meet and befriend Maya, a college graduate student who is very intrigued with Ollie’s life. A romance is brewing but Maya will not admit to it. Meanwhile, the family is getting ready for Gertie’s school play where she sings a Broadway song but that is also the day that Ollie has an interview to get his publicity job back. Ollie has to choose what’s the best path to take and maybe some helpful advice from a famous celebrity will help Ollie in making his decision. I won’t ruin the ending, but I’m sure you know where this is heading.
My Review
A warning to those going to see it because it’s a Kevin Smith movie; it’s not like his Jersey Trilogy or his Jay and Silent Bob movies. There are no references in it whatsoever. If you’re going expecting a movie like that, you will be disappointed. True, some Kevin Smith regulars appear (Jason Biggs, Matt Damon, and Jason Lee) but it is completely unrelated. On the other hand, if you’re going just to see a Kevin Smith directed movie, ignoring his previous works, you will be pleasantly surprised. I went to this movie fearing the worst but it was actually really good. It’s a romantic comedy of sorts, but not the cheesy ones that are prevalent in Hollywood nowadays. It’s a pretty refreshing look at relationships and how real they are. This is a movie that could conceivably work in real life. As a movie, it’s everything you’d want. It’s funny, it’s got a pretty good story, it has its serious moments, it’s really a fine effort from Kevin. I thought the acting of Ben Affleck was better than what he usually does, Raquel Castro did great in her first big movie, Liv Tyler pulls off a decent performance and Carlin is hilarious but does anyone expect less? In all, it’s definitely a movie you should try out. It hasn’t gotten much media attention because of the whole Bennifer episode but don’t let that deter you. It’s worth the price of admission and there’s really nothing more you would want from a movie.
Overall Rating
***
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