PG13
Stars: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber
Director: James Mangold
Writers: James Mangold and Steven Rogers
Kate & Leopold is a relatively palatable romantic comedy solely due to the charms of its stars Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. Otherwise, dumb is the operative word here.
Meg Ryan plays Kate McKay, a high-strung, semi-obnoxious, modern age gung-ho New York City ad agency executive. And of course she’s dysfunctional in the love department … until she meets … of all people … a 19th century duke (Hugh Jackman as Leopold) who has accidentally traveled through time, from 1867 to the new millennium. He does this on the heels of Stuart Besser, Kate’s former boyfriend, an engineer who discovered a portal into the past. You get there by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. Of course! Why the jumper doesn’t end up in the water in the other timeline is never explained. Well, there are a lot of things that aren’t explained. That’s the beauty of romantic comedies. You don’t have to.
Anyway, Leopold, who’s a highly respected inventor in his own time (gosh, he invented the elevator) comes to this new world, filled with its wondrous inventions, and barely blinks. He has eyes only for Kate, but, not only does she not buy his man-from-the-past story, she’s too busy trying to get a coveted promotion at her firm, the one she’s worked a life-time trying to achieve.
So, the two clash constantly until Kate sees the light and allows the dashing, well-mannered hunk to sway her little bubble-head. He’s the ultimate knight coming to the rescue as he chases down a purse snatcher though Central Park while on horseback; he knows art and opera. He’s a class act.
When Stuart re-enters the picture, after suffering a fluke accident that lands him in the hospital for most of the film, he informs Leopold it’s time to go back from whence he came. Will Leopold go? Will he stay? What about Kate?
If you’re on the edge of your seat wondering … then I guess you’ll just have to see the film.
Lotta says: Excellent chemistry between the stars, great wardrobe on Ryan. Kate & Leopold is cute and silly fun. Fans of Meg’s won’t be disappointed.
Reviewed 6/1/02