The Makeover (2013)

What a shame. The idea was good, how sad that insufficient attention was paid to the dialogue. We have Hannah, the supposedly speech perfect politician, who can't stop saying "gonna" (9 minutes into the film - "...and the school board is gonna visit..."). There is no such word in the English language. I'm sorry Americans but all such words are 100% slang. The film is however ultimately saved by the lovely and eminently watchable Julia Stiles.

Give me Julia Stiles in any sauce and I'll have it. I walked into this movie half way through it at lunch time when I switched on the "box" and there she was, I soon realised I had seen that movie before and loved it. Not well educated or with a very poor memory I always have trouble to associate these with Pygmalion, I probably never read anyway. But I do remember...was it Rex Harrison and the Spanish rain.... Never mind I just enjoyed this plot for what it was. As for Pygmalion, well if it has not existed that story might still be possible, and likable too, why not! It's amazing how people react differently - This guy can't believe it's possible for 2 people so different to fall in love. But one has to realise what people portrait is not necessary who they are, they may have shaped themselves through a variety of influences. However their inner personality remains to emerge... Sometimes I enjoy (in a variety of ways) reading these commentaries as much as watching the movies themselves. I'm not sure why but watching David Walton I thought I was watching Jim Carrey a little more behaved, Oh well! Oh what the story is about? hmmm it's a fairly nice story with a nice ending *SPOILER* Oh again, I should have put this at the front of the sentence. Damn!

I really think this movie is a huge waste of time. Julia was so unlikable in this movie. I kept waiting for her character to redeem herself, to grow, to have some likability but it never happened. There was no chemistry between any of the characters. I hate the way they lied to Elliott in the beginning. I think someone as ambitious as Julia's character was, she would do a little transforming and run for office again. The mom was way over the top. I loved the location though, Boston looks like a wonderful town. The sister was funny. She was the best part of the movie. Make earrings out of your kidneys. LOL So we have the trademark kiss at the end. Even that didn't feel right. Reminded me of the Al and Tipper Gore kiss on stage. We know how THAT story ended. This movie just missed the mark. Sorry.

The Makeover is itself a remake of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and the musical version of that play, My Fair Lady, but with an interesting twist; the genders of the main characters in the film have been switched. Set in Boston, The Makeover takes much of its initial energy from the contrast between the varied dialects used by the upper and lower classes of that city's population.The film is a fun romantic comedy that is reasonably well acted and photographed. It could have been improved by continuing the musical score through the fades between scenes instead of leaving them silent, but this probably was not considered practical with a made for TV movie.