Review and news hub for movies, music and video games

Movie:		8.0
Picture:		9.0
Sound:		9.0
Extras:		7.0
Score:		8.0

Director(s):	Stanley Tucci
Writer(s):	David Schechter, Stanley Tucci
Starring:	Patricia Clarkson • Stanley Tucci
Genre:	Comedy • Drama • Romance
Release Date:	December 22, 2009

List Price:	DVD - $18.49
Amazon:

One of the most noticeable things about Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci is that they’re both excellent at what they do. You might also realize that, while each has been working steadily since the mid-80s, you’ll be hard-pressed to find either as the leading lady or man in the movies they’ve done.

Such was the case until about two years ago, when they starred together in Blind Date, a loose remake of the 1996 Theo van Gogh film of the same name. Janna (Clarkson) and Don (Tucci, who also directs), trying to find their way back from the long-ago death of their daughter (who, somewhat strangely, provides narration), decide to go on a series of blind dates to figure out how or even if — they can mend their marriage. They switch off placing personal ads and meet up for date after date, pretending to be people they’re not. (This includes an actual blind date, a hilarious turn by Tucci, and Clarkson as an “aggressive” woman; Janna’s sense of humor shines here, as she walks into the bar and punches Don in the gut.)

Despite being only 80 minutes long, Blind Date has a slight dragging feel to it. With a small array of camera shots and angles, it gives the sense of a play translated into film. Too much of the same gag is packed in, and Don and Janna seem to realize it as well, knowing that they can't break out of their rut. Though they both desperately want what they had prior to the death of their daughter, they seem to give in to the frustration that they may not ever be able to get past their tragedy, at least not with each other. Their relationship brings to mind a tamer sort of Antichrist, in which the grieving parents try to ease their pain with their imaginations rather than their bodies.

Blind Date, though by no means groundbreaking, is still pretty heartbreaking, both with the sincerity of its stars and its very plot. Clarkson and Tucci give admirable performances, bringing to their roles their usual quiet elegance (even Clarkson's appearance as Mother #2 in the SNL digital short "Mother Lover" was top-class) and giving life to a movie that might otherwise not have been worth the effort, nor be worth an audience's time.

DVD Bonus Features

You can watch Blind Date with or without an audio commentary by Tucci and Clarkson, which, considering the delightfulness of the two actors, will probably make the film all that more enjoyable.