Fresh and Exciting

Best movie ever!

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"I Love You Too" is an agreeable enough comedy that badly outstays its welcome towards the end, which is a shame, because it has some funny moments.Brendan Cowell plays the typical commitment phobic immature bed hopper who has found the one he wants to be with, but gets ditched because he doesn't know how to tell her how he feels. He meets Peter Dinklage, a SNAG who offers to help him. There's also Peter Helliar, playing who else but the sidekick to Cowell's first incarnation.There are also cameo roles by Rose Byrne, Hamish Blake, Angus Sampson and Kim Gyngell.How many times have we seen this plot? It's kept buoyant at first because funny moments and the charm of the actors makes it feel fresh, but of course it can only end one way, and once you realise what you're in for, the movie is on autopilot and you aren't paying attention.There are also aspects that don't fit a silly romantic comedy, eg. Cowell's character having lost his parents. The movie doesn't go for any touching moments, nor depths to its characterisations, so why bother with that?

This one started out somewhat slowly, and -- as everyone seems to agree -- really got rolling when Peter Dinklage came along, but from there on I was really engrossed. Yes, some facets could have used more polishing; perhaps there were just too many characters and situations to fully flesh them all out satisfactorily, but given the genre-transcendent nature of the movie itself, it actually doesn't seem troubling to have a loose end here and there. Life is nothing if not occasionally sloppy and unpredictable.The 3 "hot chicks" (rendered in quotes by me because it's a cringe-inducing cliché, not to evoke sarcasm) were quite lovely, and Alice so much so that it was difficult to imagine Jim truly waffling over her. She was too charming for that. Still, by the time the story played out, it made at least some more sense, and Jim did win me over eventually.My one major complaint was that Jim's friend didn't explain to Alice what had really happened in the friend's place. (I'm leaving it vague to avoid spoiling it; if you've seen the movie you'll remember.) I don't understand that, and I don't understand why nobody else is complaining about it, either. Perhaps I missed something. As of now, I feel like that omission was for plot purposes, and it doesn't ring true.Aside from that, I really enjoyed this movie a lot, especially Dinklage's typical show-stealing performance and the winsome heroines. There are some really good laughs and a lot of pathos here. 8/10.

A question that will plague you for the rest of your (pardon the obvious here) life is: What is life all about? We seek out the answers in books, in academic theses, in movies, and yes, in life itself. As we walked out from the theatres after watching the preview of this movie, we were somewhat convinced that the past 109 minutes have presented us with a rather poignant portrayal of life.Surprise, surprise - the movie wasn't manufactured from the Hollywood's ingenious machines and computers. This time round, it's the kind mates from Down Under who have managed to make a film that is emotionally engaging, as well as enjoyably entertaining.Our protagonist is 30 plus year old Jim, who is unable to commit to Alice, his girlfriend of three years. Like every other girl, Alice wishes that her boyfriend would say the three magical words – you know which ones, don't you? One situation leads to another, and Alice considers leaving to take up a job in England. Elsewhere, Jim meets the vertically challenged Charlie who gives him a new insight into what love really means. In this somewhere there's also Jim's best friend Blake, his pregnant sister Marie and her rough edged husband Owen.We acknowledge the fact that the synopsis doesn't really sound exciting, but think about it – how exciting is life itself for most of us? What triumphs for this movie is its nice blend of comedy and affecting drama. We hate to say this, but if this screenplay was taken up by a money raking Hollywood studio, or for that matter, a local TV production house, things would have turned out to be a dreary drab of a mess.Maybe you can call it first time lucky, because here we have first time writer Peter Helliar penning the screenplay. It is also the directorial film debut of Daina Reid. They may not be familiar names with us in this part of the world, but trust us, there is really a lot of heart in this one.While watching this well written movie, you'd be reflecting on the various aspects of life – love, friendship, kinship and the little episodes which play themselves out amidst these larger grand themes. Helliar have managed to capture the little moments in life which define the greater moments – from the quibbles in a restaurant, the wild parties in a club, to the efforts taken by a friend to cheer his pal up, and a simple desire to connect with someone through writing letters. These setups are written with a fresh touch of humour, which remind of life itseld. Reid has also done a decent job of directing her cast in the various situations, never at once making them caricatures which we are so used in Hollywood movies and TV productions.The cast delivers fine performances here. Brendan Cowell plays Jim, a familiar man in his 30s who is emotionally diminutive. – not just because he works at a miniature railway. The Australian actor exudes an underachiever charm that is both charismatic and empathizing. Helliar takes on the role of Jim's best friend Blake, who may seem rough and tough on the surface, but has one of the best lines in the movie when he tells Jim what he really feels about their friendship. Yvonne Strahovski plays Alice, the girlfriend who has to make a really important decision about her own life. The sweet looking actress puts her appealing looks to good use here. Fellow Australian actors Birdie Carter and Travis McMahon also display their acting chops in the roles of the wife and husband who are experiencing some bumpy times while expecting their first child.Watch out also for Peter Dinklage's unforgettable performance as Charlie, the American who changes Jim's life. The actor has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, which naturally makes him different from the rest. But that doesn't stop us from commending his moving performance – it's one of the best we have seen this year.You end up feeling and caring for all the characters in the movie, and that's because you are living life.

I saw this film on a flight from Darwin to Canberra so I'm assuming it was modified for the flight (I am pretty sure there was a lot of swearing removed). I was going to pull the plug after a few minutes of Peter Hellier. Normally I think he's funny, but not as a movie actor. It turned into a great and funny Aussie comedy once Charlie was introduced. I just wonder if they should have had Megan Gale's name in the opening credits. It would have added a little more mystery to leave it to the end. Otherwise I would go out and watch it again when it comes out on DVD so I can see the bits which were cut. At the beginning the main male character had me thinking he was a jerk, but after the reason for his reticence was explained it all made sense.