Valentine’s Marathon: Kate & Leopold (2001)

Last year I wanted to do a Meg Ryan marathon and seeing as that didn’t happen as her filmography is pretty long, I decided that I’d go through the few that I had acquired during this year.  I felt pretty bad especially since Paul over at Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies asked me again about it and I promised him that I’d try to put at least one of them in my Valentine’s Marathon. I definitely would like to see another one but Kate & Leopold was my choice because it was a romantic comedy and I needed one of those after a very teary after A Walk to Remember 🙂

Director: James Mangold

Cast: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer

Stuart (Liev Schreiber) finds a crack in time and ends up falling into April 1876 where while he is documenting photographs as he follows his great great grandfather, Leopold Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman), he also catches his attention. Leopold follows him accidently back to 21st century New York but before he gets a chance to actually explain everything to him, Stuart has an accident and asks his ex-girlfriend Kate (Meg Ryan) who lives upstairs to help him. While Stuart struggles to find a way to escape the hospital, Leopold is learning about the new time he is in while befriending Kate and her brother, Charlie (Breckin Meyer). The affection between Kate and Leopold grow but he knows that he must leave her.

I like Meg Ryan a lot and none of her movies have disappointed me thus far. Kate & Leopold is one of the new ones with Meg Ryan and its a charming one.  Of course, Hugh Jackman does most of the charming. Where do you find gentlemen these days? No offense.  If you exist out there, well, you sure aren’t in Montreal and I haven’t met you. Of course, it doesn’t bother me too much but c’mon, lets face it, wouldn’t it be awesome to be courted by a gentlemen in elegant sweep you off your feet ways? I know I would.  Its like how we watch Audrey Hepburn movies and say, “They don’t movies like this anymore.” Same thing, just different context. Its classy and beautiful. Hugh Jackman just takes it and leaves and for me, Meg has always been a classy lady so this fits her.

If you take Kate & Leopold and try to apply logic and the concept of time travel and ask whether it makes sense, well, it doesn’t.  There’s a lot that doesn’t really work but I don’t know, as much as I did notice it, it didn’t bother me all too much.  I’m not watching a drama and accuracy doesn’t have to be the main focus in a romantic comedy.  If you are able to toss logic to the back your mind and just enjoy the sweet story, this one is alright. It’d gladly sit through this one again but if given the choice, I’d probably choose some of Meg’s other works like When Harry Met Sally.

Other than Meg Ryan and a very charming Hugh Jackman, there’s also Liev Schreiber. So this is where Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber started acting together, eh? My first thought when I saw Liev Schreiber was, “wait a minute, I saw him in X-men Origins!” You know, my boyfriend’s sister thinks my boyfriend looks like this guy.  I don’t think so personally but it did help me recognize him.  I haven’t seen this guy much anywhere but he is pretty funny in this.   The other supporting role with Breckin Meyer playing Charlie was actually funnier.

I really don’t have much to say about Kate & Leopold.  Its a good romantic comedy.  The time travel plot is quite incomplete but if you’re willing to through out logic and just enjoy Hugh Jackman’s charm and his very awesome accent, it’ll be entertaining 🙂

Have you seen Kate & Leopold? What did you think about it?