Reel Critics

Allen MacDonald

“Kate & Leopold” was better than I expected, yet not as good as it

could’ve been.

The premise smelled like a stinker: Leopold (Hugh Jackman) is an 1880s

New York City Duke who accidentally falls through a time portal into

modern day Manhattan. Kate (Meg Ryan) is the career-driven, but

love-starved woman he falls in love with.

I suspected it would play like most high-concept fluff, but was

pleasantly surprised how rich and textured “Kate & Leopold” turned out to

be.

Director James Mangold always does standout work, so I shouldn’t have

been surprised he squeezed so many true moments of human emotion out of

such a tired premise. He is especially gifted with a natural ear for

dialogue that imbues his characters with distinct, well-rounded

personalities; we know who they are by what they say, but also by what

they don’t.

Still, “Kate & Leopold” could’ve gone deeper emotionally. Mangold has

clearly decided to play it safe here; he seems torn between a desire to

remain loyal to his independent roots while still trying to deliver the

big studio crowd pleaser. That’s a shame since excavating emotion is

something Mangold has a talent for.

Anyone who saw Mangold’s three previous films (“Heavy,” “CopLand” &

“Girl, Interrupted”) knows he’s just skimming the surface this time out.

“Kate & Leopold” has difficulty maintaining momentum. I checked my

watch twice -- not a good sign.

The plot meanders. Rather than each scene building on the next, “Kate

& Leopold” feels like a series of mildly entertaining events loosely

connected by a weak story thread. I wish Mangold had cut out the fat and

tightened things up.

One character, Kate’s ex-boyfriend Stuart (Liev Schreiber), feels

unnaturally forced into the story. You know Stuart will play an important

role in the final act, so there’s no real tension to what happens to him

in the interim. It ends up feeling implausible and just plain silly.

Jackman proves once again that he’s a powerful screen presence. His

charm drips off the screen. Ryan is her usual, lovable self. She has the

monopoly on romantic comedies, so she knows how to hit the right notes,

but she doesn’t give us anything new.

“Kate & Leopold” isn’t a must-see event, but it gets an “A” for

effort.* ALLEN MacDONALD, 28, is currently working toward his master’s

degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.