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Cast: Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, Bella Heathcote, J.K. Simmons, Chris Elliot
Director: Marc Lawrence
Once upon a time, Keith Michaels (Hugh Grant - About a Boy, Love Actually) was an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, but divorce and a string of unsuccessful films have left him with nothing but bad debts and blank pages. So when his agent arranges a job as guest screenwriting professor at a remote university in upstate New York, a desperate Keith can’t say no. Initially hoping to give minimal effort to actual teaching so he can focus on his next script, Keith unexpectedly finds himself becoming invested in his students lives, including Holly (Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler), a single mom looking to start her own new chapter.
"The Rewrite" tells the story of Keith Michaels, a Hollywood screenwriter who has not had much success since his first award winning effort because a successful movie. Years have passed and the lack of success and interest from Hollywood has left him down and desperate, so desperate that he decides to take a job at a university in New York teaching as a screenwriting professor. At first Keith hopes to just phone in his duties, doing as little as possible but after getting caught having a relationship with one of his younger students he rethinks everything and in turn he becomes more tentative to the needs of his students including a single mother who is looking for a new start in life as well.
"The Rewrite" is basically about looking for a second chance in life, redeeming yourself and finding yourself again and being able to move forward in your life. The film is a romantic comedy but the romance seems secondary in the over all scheme of things. It is something Keith likes of course, he likes his booze as well but he is also looking for a lot more like reinventing him and perhaps getting a relationship going again with his grown son.
I really enjoyed this film, it is nothing fantastic but it is a solid effort that contains the right amount of comedy and drama. Besides the solid script and very nice production values the film also benefits from a fantastic cast that includes Hugh Grant, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Chris Elliott, Bella Heathcote and Marisa Tomei. Everyone in the film is terrific and a treat to watch.
I thought this was an enjoyable comedy about having a midlife crisis and finding your way out of it in order to move on with your life. If you like a good comedy/drama then I recommend checking this one out. It is definitely worth a look especially with the film's amazing cast. Available now on DVD, you can order it HERE and also available on Blu-ray which you can order HERE.
Released by Image Entertainment
*** 1/4 Out Of *****