About Adam (2000)

by Rizzy

OK, OK, OK, so I'm Bviewing a romantic comedy. In fact, I liked this movie and it is a romantic comedy. What is wrong with me? Have I lost all sense of self? Am I becoming a girl? Yes, but this movie has nothing to do with that. I promise. For those of you who know nothing about Adam, it's plot goes something like this. Girl meets boy.  Girl asks boy out.  Boy meets girls family. Girl falls in love with boy.  Boy secretly seduces girl's sisters. Wait? What was that again? Yes, boy secretly seduces girl's sisters. Here is a man with balls the size of Texas... or larger, he might have balls the size of all of North America.  And absolutely no shame.

And I present you with Adam, played by Stuart Townsend, who I loved so much in The Best Man (aka Unhitched) that I decided to rent this film as well.  And I got to tell you, I've never hated loving someone as much as I hated loving Adam, which really says a lot for Townsend's acting.  I mean, you really SHOULD hate his character.  He lies all the time, seduces people left and right, cheats on his girlfriend, but you still can't help but find amusement in how he gets away with it all and how fully he puts himself into all the different roles he plays. He's a little mystery wrapped in a sexy-coated shell.*

Part of that is because Kate Hudson is not particularly lovable as Lucy Owens, Adam's girlfriend.  I mean,she's cute, she's sweet, she's nice and you want her to be happy.  But of the sisters she is the flattest character.  All the other ones are more interesting and therefor you enjoy watching their story lines get flushed out more. Only the first part of the movie really focuses on their story line, though.  The movie breaks down each siblings view of what's going on in parts.  The first is Lucy's, because it's the most simple and after that you rarely see her again.  After that, the fun begins.

Now, my Bview might be a little bit biased, because Frances O'Connor is a fantastic actress who's in one of my favorite films The Importance of Being Earnest. But she plays a repressed book worm that's just begging for some kinda secret romance. And it's more than a little enjoyable to watch Townsend mold himself to a romance novel softy. Very amusing indeed.

Directly from soft, touchy feely Adam we go to Lucy's brother's segment where we got to see manly, macho, sex advice giver Adam.  Suddenly he's no longer a pussy boy, he's the man every man wants to be.  And how could he not be having already banged 2 out of 3 sisters?

Gerard Stembridge did an amazing job through out this film isolating each story so it really feels like you're watching several different films, but at the same time they intertwine so nicely that they really do an amazing job of building on the last.  Especially with the narration. How you get to literally hear what each person's thinking. It really builds on the laughs.

If you enjoy films that tell the same story through different point of views and add depth each time or if you just enjoy a film that's very nicely put together I'd really recommend this film.  A bit quaint at times, it never failed to up the ante over and over and over again, which I love at a film. It's not really a B movie, but it's lesser known and earned a soft spot in my heart and therefor a review.  That's reason enough to rent this one.

*I'm so coining that term. Sexy-coated shell.  FANTASTIC!!