LEAP YEARPG (Universal Studios)
Reason for the Rating: Sensuality and language
According
to an old Irish tradition, on February 29th of a leap year,
women can propose to men. Uptight and career-driven Anna (Amy Adams) has
been expecting her boyfriend of four years to propose, but with no luck.
Now that they are planning on buying and apartment together, she is
especially hoping for that sparkly ring. But all she gets is a pair of
earrings.
So, just
like her great grandmother did, Anna decides to propose marriage to her
boyfriend on the leap year, spontaneously jumping a plane to
Of
course, it’s never that easy, and she runs into many barriers along the
way, such as closed airports, dangerous ferries, a herd of cows, and a
brooding Irishman, Declan (Matthew Goode). Though they quickly decide they
hate each other (as all romantic comedy leads must), Declan agrees to
usher her on her stiletto-heeled way across the beautiful, but apparently
difficult to traverse, Irish countryside.
They
encounter many of the improbable but clichéd misadventures one expects in
romantic comedies, such as having to pretend to be married (and
subsequently kiss and spend the night together), getting stuck in a storm
at a romantic castle, and, of course, becoming inextricably bonded with
one another along the way.
There
aren’t any surprises here. The movie follows the predictable plot of a
romantic comedy, but that’s not so bad if you like that kind of thing.
(And, lucky for the moviemakers, young romantic girls do like that kind of
thing.) The characters are reasonably likable, and the scenery of rural
The movie
unfortunately leans on the overused conflict of a pre-existing boyfriend
or fiancé to advance the tension, which is singularly unromantic when one
thinks about it and reinforces our society’s flippant attitude toward
“light cheating” in honor of “following one’s heart.” And the viewer is
left not quite sure of what exactly Declan and Anna see in one another,
other than the obvious reason that most people would fall for a gorgeous
redhead or handsome Irishman if forced to sleep in the same bed as them. FamilyFans.com Recommends:
Except for a few scenes of sensuality and some language, leap year is
relatively clean and relatively (if predictably) fun. It’s your average
romantic comedy, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this will do just
fine.
As appropriate, use the movie to discuss with your teenage girls issues
such as what to look for in a mate, how to go about finding a mate, and
even the popular habit of living together before marriage.
AFTER THE SHOW
Use these
questions to spark discussion among family members who are interested in
this movie.
• What
would your ideal proposal look like?
• What do
you think of the idea of women proposing to men on a leap year?
• What
are some of the things you think it is most important to find in your
mate? --AV Note: All movie-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective movie studios. ---
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Plot Summary