Kate & Leopold (2001)

This is a charming movie starring Hugh Jackman- yet to hit his stride in the big leagues, and Meg Ryan- on a downturn. Featuring a bit of time travel an Englishman from the 17th century lands up in modern day New York City and falls in love with an advertising executive alongside trying to settle in the new century. The film is cute and would make for a great afternoon relaxation offering. Its rather sad to see Meg Ryan fall of the face of Hollywood because she has an endearing personality and an infectious smile. James Mangold directs(he would reteam with Hugh Jackman for Wolverine and Logan).

I watched this movie for the first time when I was a high school student. I am not a big fan of fantasy films, but this is so exciting. At first I thought this is love romance story by seeing the jacket, but actually this is a kind of the love comedy. Leopold, the duke who lives in 1870's, and Kate, the woman who lives in 21st century are very different in a way of living and clothes. They happen to meet each other and fall in love. They often have quarrels and their conversations are humorous. Leopold is very handsome. I think most audience would fall in love with him. And his costumes are superb. He seems to be a real duke of 18th century. I like not only Leoplod but also Kate's brother, Charlie. He is very funny. I think he plays an important role in the film. Without him, Kate and Leopold would not be united.

Kate and Leopold (2001): Dir: James Mangold / Cast: Hugh Jackman, Meg Ryan, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne: Practically the same movie as Just Visiting only perhaps more captivating. Hugh Jackman stars as a Duke who is set to choose a wife for his kingdom when he notices a peculiar stranger. He follows him through a portal to present day. He is bewildered until he meets the stranger played by Liev Schreiber who is an inventor, and his ex-girlfriend played by Meg Ryan. Though it makes little sense even for the stretch of the imagination, it is an interesting choice for director James Mangold who previously made Cop Land and the overrated Girl Interrupted. Mangold counters the preposterous elements of the story by concentrating of characters with likable qualities. Jackman is charming as he tries to relate to present day culture. Ryan is smart and witty as Kate who is curious with regards to Leopold but is heading to an ending that is hardly satisfactory. Schreiber rises above the nonsense of the plot with humour in tact although how he created the portal is a rather dim plot device. Breckin Meyer steals scenes as Ryan's actor brother who learns much from Leopold particularly about romancing a female he is interested in. Other characters unfortunately play to the stereotypes of the genre. As with Just Visiting, it is a romantic comedy about traces of love through time. Score: 5 ½ / 10

Directed by James Mangold (Cop Land; Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line, The Wolverine), I knew the two leading male and female stars, and that there was a love story involved, so even though it had a relatively low rating by critics, I thought I'd give it a go. Basically in 1876, in the 19th Century, Prince Leopold Mountbatten, Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman) is told by his strict Uncle Millard (Paxton Whitehead) to marry a rich American woman to help the depleting fortunes of his family. But then one day he spots out of place amateur physicist Stuart Besser (Liev Schreiber) taking photographs, Stuart runs away during a speech at the Brooklyn Bridge, Leopold follows him as he prepares to jump from the unfinished bridge, only to fall with him into a time portal transporting them to 21st Century New York. Stuart explains to Leopold he found a gap in time that allowed him to travel to the past universe, he can only return to his original time when the gap opens again in a week, until then Leopold is stuck in the city, clueless about his new surroundings, and Stuart ends up having an accident and when talking about his scientific discovery being institutionalised. While staying at Stuart's apartment, Leopold is intrigued by cynical and ambitious Kate McKay (Meg Ryan), Stuart's ex-girlfriend, he sees she is a "career woman" as she does market research, she dismisses his kindness towards her, Leopold does however befriend Kate's brother Charlie (Breckin Meyer). Kate and Leopold do start to spend more time together, and slowly become romantically linked as she takes him on a tour of modern New York and they dine together, and Kate also thinks with 19th Century style clothes and perfect gentleman demeanour he could be the perfect spokesman for a new margarine product, an audition certainly proves successful. However when it comes to the day of the shooting the commercial Leopold is disgusted by the taste of the product, he cannot understand why Kate would endorse a flawed item to the public, Kate simply says that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to, they part ways for a while, and meanwhile Stuart breaks out of the the mental hospital, he transports Leopold back to his own. Kate is accepting a promotion that had always longed for, Stuart and Charlie show up at the banquet dinner and show Kate photographs from the 19th Century taken, Stuart thought he had disrupted the spacetime continuum, in fact Kate is supposed to go back to the 19th Century with Leopold, she is taken to the time portal just before it closes, as she chooses a life with Leopold over her career, she appears just as Leopold is about to marry Miss Tree (Kristen Schaal) for her family fortune, announcing herself as Leopold's bride-to-be, Kate and Leopold embrace, marry and live happily ever after. Also starring American Pie's Natasha Lyonne as Darci, Bradley Whitford as J.J. Camden, Spalding Gray as Dr. Geisler and Philip Bosco as Otis. Jackman is both funny and charming as the 19th Century gentleman transported into the modern world, Ryan being the of the queens of the rom-com genre does alright being beautiful with some feistiness, they are a relatively good couple, and the supporting cast members get their moments as well. The boy meets girl format is given a little twist with the time travel aspect, as is the English gent falling for American chick format, most of the film is predictable and old-fashioned, but you cannot help but laugh at the old-fashioned crossing with modern culture stuff, and the love story is sweet enough, a likable and not terrible romantic comedy. It won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "Until" by Sting (also nominated the Oscar). Okay!