"Sweet November" is a film that turns the tables on the stereotypical "chick-flick" genre.
The film, directed by Pat O'Connor, leaves audiences feeling satisfied that it isn't the type of movie where two people meet, fall in love, somehow are torn apart and brought back together to live happily ever after. This film certainly defies this definition, yet leaves the audience confused.
Nelson Moss, played by Keanu Reeves, has the good life working at an advertising company, and eventually runs into Sara Deever, played by Charlize Theron, at the Department of Motor Vehicles, where they are both taking driving tests.
Moss tries to ask her what the answer is to a test question, and Deever is accused of cheating. Deever harasses Moss by showing up at his house screaming at him at the top of her lungs. This is where their relationship begins to form.
Deever makes Moss a deal that he finds quite strange. She proposes that he stay at her house for one month without thinking about his job, which he concentrates on 24 hours a day. Moss is eventually lured by the charm and liberty of Deever's life. With her, Moss learns that life has more to offer than the material world.
Eventually, Moss questions why he can only stay for a month, and Deever merely tells him that she wants to help him. But in the end, she needs help as well.
The plot of this film reverses the role of finding true love because the focus is on how Deever tries to change Moss's life instead of Moss acting as the romantic lead and saving her life.
While the plot has potential, it is clear Reeves needs to stick to action and sci-fi films such as "Speed" and "The Matrix" because the romantic chemistry between Reeves and Theron quickly fizzles. The scene between them when Theron comes to his house to patronize him for ruining her chances of obtaining a driver's license contains about the only real emotional dialogue between them in the movie.
Theron displays her genuine acting ability as woman who is comedic, yet so dramatic that there is a real touch of sympathy for her situation. It is evident, from the moment she arrives at the Department of Motor Vehicles with a bag of groceries and drops them on the floor, that Deever is an interesting and captivating character.
The inclusion of Chad, Deever's neighbor, played by Jason Issacs, as a complex guy who is an important part of Deever's life, works.
Reeves' role as the romantic man only works when Theron takes over his life and establishes rules for him. And even at that, Theron takes the limelight while Reeves searches for the magnetism to make his love for Deever believable.
Die-hard Reeves' fans will no doubt love him in this role, but the good looks don't exactly help him in this film. The ending is strange, and it left me puzzled and wondering what exactly happened to the characters.
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If anything, go see the movie for Theron's charm and Issacs' comedic, bright quality, which is enough reason to check it out.
"Sweet November" starts Friday in local theaters.
