Addicted to Love

This is a 90's movie that unfortunately slipped through my grasp for quite some time. Addicted to Love was made in 1997, starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick. I will be the first to admit that Broderick is not my favorite actor out there, but he and Meg Ryan come together to make quite the wonderful odd pair. Sam (Matthew Broderick) is heart broken after his home-town sweetheart/ fiance Linda (Kelley Preston) leaves him in search of adventure and excitement in the big city. He runs after her in desperation, convinced that she will welcome him back into her heart. Instead he finds Linda in the lavish apartment of a distinguished French chef named Anton (Tcheky Karyo). He spends night and day spying on Linda and the man she seems lustfully now in love with, from an abandoned building across the street. This is where he runs into Maggie (Meg Ryan). Maggie turns out to be this Anton's vengeful ex-girlfriend. Even though they can hardly stand each other... the two pair up to sabotage Linda and Anton's love fest. Sam takes care of the technical responsibilities while Maggie does the scheming.

About mid-way through the movie I realized that it mirrored one of my favorite Meg Ryan movies of all time... French Kiss, made only two years previous. While in my opinion, Matthew Broderick is no Kevin Kline, I feel like Addicted to Love is a pleasant reminder of French Kiss in a gender reverse. One person in the relationship leaves for more excitement and the other one chases after with a plan to win them back. While French Kiss is still my favorite I would highly recommend Addicted to Love to anyone who enjoys and good humorous love story.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Jeff, Who Lives At Home went above and beyond my expectations. In the beginning of the movie you have three fairly unlikable characters. Jeff (played by Jason Segal) lives in his mother's basement and has no desire to do anything other than sit on his couch and wait for signs from the universe. Pat (played by Ed Helms) is Jeff's brother. Pat thinks he is an adult but makes irresponsible choices like purchasing a Porsche that he cannot afford, without his wife's approval. Sharon (played by Susan Sarandon), Jeff and Pat's mother, is unsatisfied with her life and currently hates her sons. The story takes off when Jeff believes the universe is sending him signs. These signs take Jeff and his brother Pat on a journey that changes everything. Sharon finds understanding and hope in an unexpected place. Watching all of their messy lives get thrown around and rearranged is very humorously heartfelt and satisfying. The momentum and emotion fuel a great story of family and relationships. I have to give a large amount of credit to Judy Greer (who plays Pat's wife, Linda) and Rea Dawn Chong (who plays Sharons work friend, Carol) as well. Judy Greer always seems to bring a genuine quality to her characters that is refreshing for me, and I love the strength and beauty that Rae Chong brings to the table. Jeff Who Lives at Home is a pleasure to watch.