Something Borrowed, based on the best-selling novel by Emily Griffin, ends up being more entertaining and enjoyable than I expected. It is charming, fun, and sweet which is what we love about romantic comedies in the first place. Now, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its share of problems, but as far as rom-coms go, it works on several more levels than most. This movie has characters that you may relate to and you hope for the best even though you know everything will work out in the end.
Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Darcy (Kate Hudson) are the best of friends. Darcy has always been the “prettier” one and gets everything she wants. She is careless and is down to party anytime. Rachel has been single for most of her days and the one guy she fell for in law school, Dex (Colin Egglesfield), she wasn’t able to express her feelings to him and instead Darcy came in and scooped him up. Now Rachel is still single and turning 30 while Darcy and Dex are about to get married.
However, weeks leading up to the wedding, Rachel and Dex begin to rediscover what they had back in law school, and this time, they are able to say what they have been wanting to say to each other ever since they first met. But is it too late? Rachel is caught in a tough situation in which no matter what she decides to do, someone will get hurt. She cherishes her friendship with Darcy and doesn’t want to destroy it, but that means she will have to give up on the love of her life—again.
Director Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door) is from New York and you can tell he has an eye for his city. All of the scenery in this movie captures the best of New York and it gives the movie a freshness that only a city like that can. He made a great choice when he put Goodwin and Hudson together because they actually have amazing chemistry. It feels like they could be best friends in real life. There is a scene in which they dance to Salt n’ Pepa and you will enjoy it probably more than you should. Goodwin and Hudson are both good, but Goodwin’s role has more meat on its bones. She is more complex than the wild child Hudson plays.
Something Borrowed goes down the same path that many rom-coms go down. But the ride down it is fun and actually funny. It’s never too stupid and because of John Krasinski (The Office), the movie will make you laugh more than just once or twice. He plays Rachel’s best guy friend who gives her the advice that she may not want to hear but needs to. And while the movie is about secrets, don’t think he doesn’t have one of his own. But he steals every scene he is in and is the most honest character in the whole movie.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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