“Iben Hjejle is spot-on as the level-headed, prim Laura who gives Rob a “nine percent chance” of them ever getting back together again.”

Really, Jennifer?? To me, her casting is the films’ Achilles’ heel—her stilted, wooden performance gives us no clue as to why Rob fell for her in the first place...in the book, Laura was mousy, spontaneous, and had many more traces of an aging punk rocker chick than Hjejle does. You could tell she was moving on, but there was a lot more intensity and fire still to burn. Of course, the screenplay also leaves out a few key scenes, like what happens after Laura’s dad’s funeral.

Still, I can’t watch Hjejle’s scenes without wincing. It’s too bad—there are a number of great actresses who could have made it work and really brought the film full circle...where it stands now, it’s trapped by that fatal flaw…

Comment by R.B. Martin from Boston — April 21, 2008 @ 8:49 am

Jenn!!!

Not the best place to touch base, but stumbled across this while looking for another article.  Hope you and the family are doing well.  BTW - I escaped the madness and realized that the grass really is greener on the other side.

Take care!!  Colleen Gorman

Comment by Colleen from DC — May 9, 2008 @ 8:44 pm