Mr. Fix It (2006)

There's a shot pretty early on in this movie where the camera zooms in on a screaming woman (who has just been wronged by Mr. Fix It), continuing to zoom right into the back of her throat to her uvula, which then dissolves into a punching bag at a gym. I had low expectations going in, but I see that shot, and I point at the TV screen and say, "HOLD UP now, this guy is a freakin' genius." I haven't seen this director's other films (and judging by their IMDb synopses, I don't want to), but "Mr. Fix It" is cleverly written, well-paced, has some great visual gags, and Paul Sorvino for no apparent reason. It's by no means theatrical quality (you can see the end coming from ten miles away), but for straight-to-DVD, it's in the top tier.The actors all start to look alike after a while (they're all fairly generic LA-types, except for Sorvino and the radiant, subtle Alana De La Garza), and Boreanaz has limited range, but knows how to play to his strengths (unlike, say, that other half of his former TV-romance). He's the smug fratboy who's just a little bit more aware of what's going on around him, closer to his character on "Bones" than the dark, brooding... well, you already know his resume.The meat of the story was fun to watch, the set-up is clever, and this guy does some really evil things to the women he's trying to chase back to their former boyfriends. Does he get his comeuppance? I don't think it's too big a spoiler to say that he does. What happens after that, though, takes only about 5 minutes of screen time and kinda ruined the movie for me. It's difficult to talk about with spoiling it, but essentially, there's a new character introduced at the very end of the story, and we never get to know her, so we don't care. Where a clever plot-twister like "Wild Things" spends 10 minutes of the closing credits revealing the behind-the-scenes, "Mr. Fix It" spend 30 seconds, and expects it to be satisfying.But whatever. The getting there was fun, and I wasn't expecting art. And I always enjoy a good go-kart race. 7/10.

This movie surprised me, in a good way. I wasn't expecting much more than some light hearted humor, especially since the box cover and description are fairly innocuous. Instead, I got a heck of a fun ride. Boreanaz, although I'm not really a huge fan of his stuff, really shines. The movie puts him in many hilarious situations, making strong execution of the funny "bad boyfriend" concept that is the basis for the movie. The performances are impressive, especially La Garza who plays her role with a touch of innocence that makes you really root for her. The biggest surprise was the movies depth and the way it addresses aging, loneliness and regret. It made the film more than just a typical "date movie" and helped keep my interest. All in all a fun flick and recommended for those who like the romantic comedy genre.

Mr. Fix It is the right way to do a romantic comedy, and it would be your average romantic comedy if it didn't do things to break out of the mold. David Boreanaz is cast perfectly as the lovable Vince Valenteen, and the acting from him is top-notch. It's so nice to see Boreanaz doing something comical rather than all of the morbid TV shows he has been doing. I loved him in Buffy and Angel, and here he really plays against character. Alana De La Garza plays Sophia with an unseen sexiness, and she does it very well.Mr. Fix It plays out in the vein of Hitch, only this film ends up better. Mr. Fix It is a very well-written and well-acted romantic comedy that is not to be missed. Above all, this film is very entertaining, and certainly does not manage to disappoint. Much better than Boreanaz's last effort, These Girls.

I rented this low-budget direct-to-DVD flick on Friday night. I watched it again with the director's commentary on later that night, and then watched it with my husband on Saturday afternoon. It held up to the repeated viewings, so that's one thing in its favor.The movie is a romantic comedy starring David Boreanaz. The premise is that while dreaming of racing his Camaro in the town's annual street car race, he runs a business where freshly dumped guys hire him to be the rebound guy for their exes. Mr. Fix-It's goal is to make the ex-boyfriends look "not so bad after all" by taking to extremes whatever qualities the girls think made the ex worth dumping. Of course, the plot thickens when he actually starts to fall for one of his marks ...The low budget nature of the movie and sometimes campy acting actually enhanced my enjoyment as I found its goofy, "lame" quality to be endearing. On the downside, there are some plots and themes that seem underdeveloped. His friendship with his male buddies seems particularly tacked on, and they only show up when the plot demands. More enjoyable was the mentoring relationship he had with the older mechanics who fix up his Camaro.I loved the kicky soundtrack, mostly tunes by The Rosenbergs. I especially like "Birds of a Feather," which plays near the opening and over the credits.David Boreanaz really demonstrates good range here, creating a character totally different from the dark, brooding Angel or even the by-the-book FBI agent he plays in Bones. He made Lance Valenteen very appealing and kept you rooting for him throughout. Watching his performance in this movie made me a bona-fide fan of his! It's interesting to note that while the movie does have some sexual themes and gross out humor, there is no cursing and no nudity (except for some shirtless David Boreanaz!).Go into this movie expecting light entertainment that doesn't take itself too seriously ... and you'll get a few laughs and a positive message to boot.