Just a good ole fashioned rom-com.
A Case of You is a romantic comedy centered on Sam (Justin Long), a writer who takes the latest and greatest Hollywood blockbusters and adapts them into book form. Sam is feeling unfilled by his creative endeavors and decides that he wants to write something that is more personal to him. Sam also has a crush on Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood) who works at the local coffee shop. When Sam learns that Birdie is fired, he gets her Facebook id from one of her coworkers played by Peter Dinklage. Sam soon learns all about Birdie from her Facebook page and tries his best to become her dream man. Hilarity and romance ensues….
While audiences will probably never walk out of A Case of You stating that this was the most original film that they saw at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, I can see a large portion of people praising the film for being a good ole fashion romantic comedy with a modern day twist. The film really doesn’t offer much in terms of originality when it comes to its story, however, it does have a lot of heart and likable characters that you don’t typically get anymore in the majority of mainstream romantic comedies.
The film, which has a pretty solid casting including Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Peter Dinklage, Sam Rockwell, Vince Vaughn, Busy Phillipps, and Brendan Fraser works because of how likable each of the characters are. I know that I personally fell in love with Evan Rachel Wood’s character Birdie the moment she came on screen. There was just something about the way that Wood portrayed the character that made her so likable. Long was also great and shared some amazing chemistry with Wood. As an audience member, you knew exactly where the story was going yet still stayed invested with the film because of how much you enjoyed these characters.
The film’s story does contain some really well written characters, scenes, and jokes. Christian Long, Justin Long, and Keir O’ Donnell all co-wrote the screenplay and based most of the film on experiences that they had or things they were going through while writing the film. During the Q&A, it was mentioned that the film’s script took about four years to finish, which seems long, but for an independent project its not that extreme especially when you consider most films are either done within no time at all or others where it’s a very slow process. It never seems to be a happy medium when it comes to independent filmmaking.
I personally feel that A Case of You is a well-constructed romantic comedy that you just don’t see that much anymore. While it’s a far cry from being an original concept, it is a film that can simply be labeled as cute and funny. Its not a film that begs the audience to think about the seriousness of relationships, but instead showcases the importance of just being who you are and enjoying your time with that person in an entertaining matter. I think for those of us who appreciate the simplistic nature of those good ole fashioned romantic comedies that actual require actors to act, rather than just rely on sex gags and gross out humor will really appreciate this one. I personally had a great time watching this one and will be sure to pick this one up to add to my blu ray collection once released.
MovieManMenzel’s final rating for A Case of You is a 7 out of 10.
