If I've learned anything over the past decade and a half from all the movies I've screened, it is this: Paul Rudd steals every movie he's in. I've probably only seen a dozen or so of his films, along with a few of his television appearances (remember he was Phoebe's boyfriend/husband on "Friends" -- oh yeah...), but you just can't ignore that much talent. I'm gushing about the boy because I first noticed him in writer/director Amy Heckerling's "Clueless" and they're reunited here in this straight to video mishmash of romantic comedy and Lifetime single mom movie of the week.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Saoirse Ronan both turn in believeable performances as a mother and daughter who don't always see eye to eye but have a mutual respect for each other, even when their maturity levels seem to trade places. Jon Lovitz has a minor role as Pfeiffer's ex-husband,which, really, puts this film in the realm of science fiction or at least asks us to suspend our disbelief enough to accept that maybe 15 years ago he was a catch. It's never mentioned, but given how this film deals with the television industry (i.e., "Hollywood") I couldn't help but think Pfeiffer's charcter married him to further her own career, and that didn't aid in my desire to like her character, let alone empathize with any of her drama.
One other issue I had with this film is why Pfeiffer, who's character is an executive on a teenage show a la "Saved by the Bell," would have cast Rudd's character as he was *clearly* older than any other person shown in the 'audition scene'. I have no problem with actor's in their 20's playing teens, it's been done forever, but if you're going to try and convince us that an actor in their late 30's looks like a teen, don't put them next to other actor's who look much more convincing as a teen. Ironically, Stacey Dash who plays the star of the fictional TV show was 40 years old when this film was made and looked as young as many of the teens on set. I just saw no reason for it to be a "teen show" when any standard sit-com setting would have suited the story just fine.
That said, the film is worth seeing just for Paul Rudd, whom I hope see's more leading man roles in the very near future. Maybe his lasting working relationship with writer/producer Judd Apatow (the two worked together on "The 40 Year-Old Virgin", "Knocked Up" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") will produce something worthy of notice and garner him accolades he so richly deserves.
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