In Something Borrowed, our heroine fights what seem like insurmountable odds – Kate Hudson and a series of really bad wigs – to find true love and happiness.
Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) met the love of her life in law school. And then proceeded to hand him on a platter to her best friend Darcy (Ms. Hudson). Whoops! Now Darcy and Dex are getting married. Which sounds like a pretty bad situation. But also! The perfect situation for some cinematic girl on girl violence. Let’s begin, shall we?!
The Chick Flick Check List is here to help you navigate the difficult terrain of films aimed toward woman. These movies may not be Oscar caliber material, but when you’re in need of shoe porn or a good cry, they can be just the trick. Follow our guidelines to decide whether this week’s film is worth watching.
Something Borrowed: Check List Ranking: 68*
Likability of the lead: 7/10
Ginnifer Goodwin is pretty adorable, though her weepy sad eyed shtick might get old for some.
Plot/Script: 6/10
For those of you thought that Kate Hudson had plumbed the depths of frenemy confrontations in Bride Wars, you are mistaken. There are all sorts of other places that disgusting intrafemale violence can go. The thing that’s surprising about this movie is that there are actually interesting and touching moments.
I can’t say how thoroughly the plot follows the book, because books are for suckers. (And whoever just informed me there is a sequel is fired.) But there are plenty of funny one liners and an adorable choreographed dance scenes to make this story keep up with chic flick trends. There are also some unintentionally hilarious moments. And towards the end, it seems like the movie is playing a very frantic game of catchup to tie up all the loose ends. Which makes it hard to feel like anyone wins.
Chemistry Between The Leads: 7/10
Colin Egglesfield is so pretty. It’s easy to see why the girls are fighting over him. But his character Dex is also incredibly boring. Meanwhile, Ginnifer and John Krasinski have a pretty good rapport and I actually really enjoyed watched Ginnifer and Kate interact. But there were just too many plot twists and relationship complications to keep track of, and I had trouble keeping everyone’s love interests straight. It was a little bit like the last season of Friends.
Chance of wringing tears out of viewers: 7/10
Something Borrowed leans heavily on many tried and true female sentimentality trigger points. Any woman who has been single and concerned about her relationship prospects will have plenty to relate to in the film. Though some lines are a little ridiculous about it. Like when Darcy tells Rachel:
“You’re 30. You can’t afford to be picky.”
But there are plenty of other killer lines in there for weak-willed women who have easily persuaded tear ducts (read: me). Have you ever pined after someone to the point of absurdity? Ever had to rely on a job that was less than fulfilling as your one point of stability? Or been brought to the brink of tears hoping to end John Krasinski’s unmitigated smirking? You will during Something Borrowed.
