Falling Up (2009)

They said this guy was in nursing school because he couldn't afford medical school. But they didn't say much about how old he was. On a maturity level, I would guess 17 maybe. The sister is obviously older and much smarter. My wife and I debated turning this off for the first 45 minutes or so. This kid is so immature and downright stupid. Can there really be someone that dumb? In New York City?Anyway I won't give it away, but the female lead is terrific. And beautiful. The sister is the brains of the family and the mother is the heart. The kid is just a poor smuck trying to grow up. He has a hard time 'getting it.'Special shout-out to Annete O'Toole, the mom, Rachel Leigh Cook, the sister and Snoop Dogg as the co-worker.

Whenever I talk to someone about how good writing is crucial, this is a low budget example that I will refer them too. Henry and Scarlet are so charmingly written that it makes the jobs of Joseph Cross and Sarah Roemer easy, and together they are simply adorable. The film does suffer from a distinct "I can see where this is going next" feeling due to its unwillingness to break the classic romantic comedy template. A shame because a brave wander away could have taken it to some better places. But it is an enjoyable ride, even if you know the scenery by heart. With the two lead characters and the people who play them, it has more charm in its short running time than many films of the same genre that run for almost twice the time. Special mention also to Jo Pantoliano as the hotel boss, in a turn that would actually make him a good J.J. Jameson in the next spiderman film. When you see it... you will know. He's pretty remarkable.

. . . but this movie does not tell the REST of the story, unlike the late radio commentator Paul Harvey. For anyone exposed to GREASE's "Beauty School Drop-Out," Joseph Cross's characterization of nursing school refugee Henry O'Shea from Flatbush may ring a bell. This movie tries to prove that an Elizabeth Taylor/Larry Fortensky coupling is the rule rather than the exception for the social mores governing American class mobility. (Don't forget, Larry was Liz's 8th hubbie--NOT her first, and she was playing a cougar card to get him. )To add injury to this insult of our taken-for-granted cinematic suspension of disbelief, nerdy and broke Henry's crush--Scarlett Dowling (played by Sarah Roemer) not only is rich, but also a looker. If Scarlett resembled Gwyneth Paltrow from her fat suit scenes in SHALLOW HAL, perhaps there would be a smidgen of plausibility to FALLING UP. But the movie implies that if a young socialite's handsome rich lover is enough of a drunken druggie, the addition of coke to the love connection will transform him from an adorable ARTHUR to a 30 DAYS OF NIGHT-type vampire in the eyes of his lady love. Ergo, this will drive the wealthy young lady in question into the arms of the first guy she rubs elbows with, whether a bumbling nerd (or perhaps the toothless bum on the park bench, whom Henry beats out by a matter of minutes). Perhaps the makers of FALLING UP realized that was why they should quit while they were ahead, well before any wedding bells ring. Staging a wedding between Scarlett's blue-nose Dowlings and Henry's porn shopper O'Shea clan may well have induced stretched credulity fatalities among susceptible viewers.

First things first - if you haven't watched the trailer for this film yet, I suggest you don't. Unfortunately, if you have seen the trailer, you've also seen most of the film, because it doesn't offer a great deal more.Personally, I had seen the trailer before seeing this, so I had a general idea of what to expect - and the film pretty much delivered on that. The whole film has a light feel, and being generally predictable throughout, you're never really in any doubt about the final outcome of... well, everything.With that said, it's still an enjoyable way to spend some time, and is perfect for being not-too-long. Some of the dialogue between the actors is very forced and wooden, but the performances were generally sound, if nothing special. Sarah Roemer was strong as the leading lady/love interest, and her parents were excellent the few times they were on the screen. Joseph Cross was mediocre as the main character, with his emotional scenes unemotional at best, and I think that another actor might have been able to show a bit more chemistry with a good looking millionairess.In all, if you happen to come across this film or are a particular fan of any of the actors, it's worthwhile giving it a watch. Otherwise, don't feel that you're missing out on anything that amazing - especially if you've seen the trailer.6/10 :)