Some Kind of Beautiful

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba, Malcolm McDowell, Duncan Joiner, Ben McKenzie
Directed by: Tom Vaughan
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A professor (Pierce Brosnan) reevaluates his life when his ex-wife (Jessica Alba) and her sister (Salma Hayek) find themselves in the middle of his breakdown.

Review:

Tim: Some Kind of Beautiful is hampered by being a completely generic romantic comedy. It's not a terrible movie and it has a few strong moments, but as a whole, it's a forgettable, lackluster attempt. It does almost nothing memorable, it's predictable, and it offers up only things we have seen dozens of times before. The crazy thing is that despite some fairly big flaws, there's enough talent here to propel this movie to a surprisingly decent status.

I liked the casting of Pierce Brosnan in the lead role. It's a role perfectly suited for him. He's able to exude his British charisma while showing off some of his comedic timing. He's always been able to tap into the funnier sides of his personality and I enjoyed him doing so here. He walks a fine balance- he's not a likeable character, but we never actively dislike him. He's charming enough that we forgive some of his flaws. I also liked the casting of Salma Hayek. She does a good job of elevating the material she's given. She brings fire and a spark to the role, and I enjoyed the interactions between Brosnan and Hayek. I derived some genuine entertainment out of the two of them.

Jessica Alba continues to show what a terrible actress she is. Honestly, her talent is nearly nonexistent. This wasn't the right role for her because it did require her to act in specific scenes. She stumbles through them and detracts heavily from the movie. Malcolm McDowell, on the other hand, adds greatly to the film. He's a good actor and tackles his role with glee. It was great fun seeing him interact with Brosnan. The cast is definitely strong (for the most part) and a big reason why I liked this movie better than I should have.

The story itself is fairly routine, although there were some interesting elements that we don't often see in the typical romantic comedy. The subplot about immigration was interesting and at least attempted to differentiate this film a bit. The plot does contain quite a few absurd moments and fantastical situations (the living situation just is not believable in the least). I wish the movie had been more grounded and less Hollywoodish. Unfortunately, we don't that nearly enough, especially in these disposable romantic comedies.

I'll admit I laughed a few times, although this movie is still too light on the funny side. There were some humorous situations, which is more than I can say for many purported rom-coms. While watching this movie, I was never as engaged or interested as I should have been. However, I was also not fully disengaged. That translates into a fairly middle-of-the-road experience.

I would never expressly recommend Some Kind of Beautiful, but the talent is above average, which helps with the many substandard aspects to the story. This film was not good enough, but it's fairly decent if you're looking for a lightweight rom-com that will start to vanish from your memory soon after watching. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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