My Date with Drew (2005)

Actually, I turned off the excellent DEJ DVD about halfway through and flashed to the concluding scenes, because it was then 100% obvious that (1) the hero would have his ten minutes with the lovely Drew and (2) that he would not bother to have a shave until he reached his desiderata – and may not even then! Also, I was tired of the uninventive direction. It's a peculiar thing, but although three different guys are listed as directors, there is not a single change whatever in the monotonous clup by clup (i.e. close-ups followed by close-ups followed by close-ups) directorial style from go to whoa, until the hero actually overcomes all the humorous obstacles that clutter his path and finally meets his charming desiderata in a welcome two-shot. But what makes the DVD of really great interest is actually not the repetitious and eventually boring main feature itself, but the included Special Edition Never-Before-Seen Filmmaker Featurette. This is really superb and I must admit that the way these guys triumphed over all obstacles really brought tears to my eyes!

Brian Herzlinger, a real life gentleman attempting to break into Hollywood film making as a director, is struggling. It's a tough town to make it big, after all. His parents wire him money if he needs it, which is rather often than not. So, how can Herzlinger prove himself and gain a higher profile? After all, so many times in Tinseltown its WHO you know. A plan is hatched. Having had a crush on Drew Barrymore since her E.T. days, with the bonafide fan club cards to prove it, why not making a funny documentary of trying to get a date with Drew? Never mind that she's already involved with someone and doesn't know Brian from Adam. It's Kismet, really, as Brian has just won over a thousand dollars by answering a trivia question with her name on television. So, this aspiring director buys a video camera, many tapes, and enlists a crew of pals. His attempts to "meet" Drew involve setting up appointments with Drew's personal trainer, beauty consultant, and various other individuals in hopes that ONE of them will make the introduction. Along the way, Brian discovers he can't do 30 push ups, has blackheads, and other fun stuff. Will anyone of this pan out? This is a sweet film and it has some comical moments. No, its not as good as 20 dates, to which it has some similarities. But, Herzlinger is one determined guy and he has produced a movie which gives a good glance inside the difficult entrance into Hollywood's inner circle. Despite being a low budget film, it looks good, has interesting camera shots, and enough comedy and intrigue to keep the viewer going. As a result, Herzlinger probably did benefit from the making of the movie, Barrymore turned out to be helpful and cameos with such folks as Eric Roberts and such are pretty interesting as well. Make a date with Date, romance fans. You'll savor its sweetness.

This movie has all the makings of a really good movie. It had really good film quality, passionate individuals, a fast moving plot -- and a really good (obvious) goal. But even given all that, I just couldn't connect with the lead character/filmmaker. He's clearly a passionate guy, but something about him seemed like there was a manic aggressive undercurrent to his personality. The result was a turn-off to the film - and I watched with some excruciating pain as he tried to get to Drew Barrymore.This movie is not without its merits - it is well done and there are some smart lines and ideas - like the 6 degrees of separation between any two people in the world. That stuff is cool, but unfortunately that didn't make up for the dislike of the main character. Skip this movie unless you're a devout Drew Barrymore fan.

Essential to good storytelling are conflict and climax. Win versus lose is so engaging because life means not knowing whether you'll get what you want. It reaches the heights of living when a long struggle is capped by a moment. This movie works when it delivers both conflict and climax. It's so pleasing to see them delivered in wholly fresh ways. Brian is a filmmaker first and a stalker second. Had to be that order, or you couldn't stand to watch this story.It's great the way he involves his friends. It's great to hear about the threads in his life with her name on them. Here is someone committed to doing something new and unconventional. He bends and breaks rules (maybe laws too) with refreshing self-honesty. You want to see him win. There's no escaping the conflict. This movie makes you wonder, and you have to know: Does he get the date? The best moment is pre-climactic. It sneaks up on you but it's inescapable. I've never seen it done so subtle and so natural. The answer to the conflict comes without words, without action, with hardly motion or sound at all. Watch for it. In his face. And then tell me who shouldn't count their lives in moments like that. Moments when you find out whether you get what you want.