Sickly Sweet (Sweet November (DVD))

Member Name: MurphEE

Product:	Sweet November (DVD)
Date:	21/03/02 (192 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice idea for a story.

Disadvantages: Seen it all before.

Those of you who have been keeping up with my reviews (shame on those who haven’t) will know that I have been travelling lately and catching up on movies that I have missed. Well here comes another one of those “ fell asleep the first time” reviews. I was on my way to Australia last year with the lovely Ann and began to watch Sweet November. Yet again, exhaustion overtook me and I never got to see the ending. I put it on my list and decided to get the video when it came out.


As luck would have it the movie is featuring on HBO this month and I was able to watch it from the comfort of my hotel bed. For those of you who have not encountered HBO a little bit of information may not go amiss. Home Box Office (HBO) is an American cable channel that shows mainly movies and series. They have won awards for their original series like Sex And The City, Sopranos, Oz, and Six Feet Under. Most of these have made it to these shores and the rest will get here soon.


The beauty of HBO is that they have no advert breaks. They show the entire movie or programme and only advertise their own product between programmes. This is a blessing in a land where adverts rule the airwaves and all types of broadcast media. I had 23 channels in my hotel room and at any one time half of them are on an advert break! American TV is a nightmare to watch, not because of the content but because of the adverts!


Back to Sweet November, I can hear you wondering when I was going to get to the point! The movie stars Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron in a quirky love story. Reeves is Nelson Moss an advertising executive (now you get the link with the intro) who is at the height of his powers. He is a hot property and brings in the top accounts for his firm. He has all the trappings of success, the apartment, nice car and beautiful girlfriend. The one thing that he does not have is time.


He is hyperactive at work and at home and this leads
to the break-up of his relationship with Angelica, his girlfriend. He puts work before their relationship once too often. In the middle of all this he finds that he has to retake his driving test. Americans have to take a written test to renew their license. At the test he meets Sara Deever (Theron) and is the cause of her flunking the test.


Deever decides that Moss should make up for this mistake and this is where their relationship and the movie take off. Sara tells Moss that he is wasting his time in a job that he does not enjoy and he is unable to refute this. She offers him a deal. If he gives up one month of his life she will show him that there is more to life that material success.


Moss is undecided but events catch up with him and he finds that he will accept the deal but sticks to his terms. Behind the scenes he is still trying to pull off another deal and get himself back to the top of the tree. Needless to say he falls in love with Sara but there will not be a conventional happy ending and without spoiling the movie I cannot say much more.


Reeves is good as the executive who only knows how to compete and he handles the gradual change in attitude, as Sara works her magic on him, very well. He handles the role well and is convincing while adding that quirky charm that he does so well.


Theron is very good as Sara. She is one of those people who you know that you have seen before but struggle to place. She makes the character believable and does a very good job as the secret that she is hiding from Moss is revealed.


Greg Germann plays Nelsons friend and colleague Vince in what is actually a reprise of his role in Ally McBeal. He is egotistical and bigoted but has some marvellous one-liners that he delivers with aplomb.


Ernie the little puppy is cute and is a real scene-stealer. I don’t even like these types of small dogs, they always remind me of rats, but this little
guy has changed my attitude.


Having said all that was it really worth my while in trying to catch up with this little movie. Look at it from my point of view, I had seen enough to make me wonder what the outcome would be but not enough to know whether the movie would be good or bad. Now that I have seen the whole thing I feel cheated.


The movie promised to explore an unusual relationship but fell back on too many stereotypes. Nelson is the career-before-everything guy who we have seen in many movies. Granted Reeves at least makes him look good. Sara is the hippy who has the cool apartment (she was successful but turned her back on all that) and the cool gay friends. Again, we have seen all this before. Even the eventual realisation of her secret is a let down. I so much wanted to be blown away when they revealed why she took on a different man every month and was so disappointed when the reason became known.


There are things to recommend this movie; both of the central actors do their best with the material they are given. There is a message of sorts, i.e. there is more to life than work. And there are some nice scenes between Nelson and Sara. (I personally liked the Christmas presents scene at the end). In the end this is a Friday night stay at home with a nice meal movie. Please don’t expect too much and you will not be disappointed.


Thank you for reading.

MurphEE 2002

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