Dir. Bart Freundlich, 95 mins, 2010, USA
Cast. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha, John Schneider
Review by Michelle Moore
Fresh new romantic comedy The Rebound takes two very diverse characters and places them in a situation where they find love. The questions is, can they overcome the differences in their lifestyles and make it last?
Sandy (Zeta-Jones) and Aram (Bartha) are two very differing characters. She is a smart, suburban 40-year-old mother of two with a demanding job, while he is a directionless 25-year-old college graduate. Within the film, the characters are put through a test of whether they can overcome the differences in their life experience and put the age gap behind them. But as this is attempted, you realise although they may be as different as chalk and cheese, they have one thing in common and it is this that brings them together; both have been wronged by relationships. She has moved to New York to get away from her cheating husband while he is coming out of a two-week marriage to a French woman who saw the marriage as a way of getting a green card.
The development of the characters is done incredibly smoothly through the film. With her husband Sandy lost herself and became what he wanted her to be but as her relationship with Aram grows, as does her confidence to revert back to the woman she was before she met him. He on the other hand matures much more with her in his life. Although he may act like a child with Sandy’s two children, with her, he can be much more grown up. You can see these two characters literally grow towards each other, leaving the differences at the door and becoming one.
Sandy is a character like no other Catherine Zeta- Jones has ever played and she is able to make her and the situations she is put in believable; delivering emotions from love to fury! We recently saw Justin Bartha as Doug in The Hangover so you instantly know he is able to deliver a line or two that will set you off laughing. The two may look like the oddest or partnerships but they offer each other comfort and a bond that is there until the end.
Freundlich has been able to achieve a lot of comedy through the building of this on-screen relationship. The comical scenes are filmed in such an honest and believable way that some viewers may actually find some relation to some of them. The self-defence class in particular, is a scene that many women have only dreamed of being a part of. There are also a few scenes with John Schneider that will have you laughing one minute while becoming quite nauseating the next. Having taken the comedy into account though, the more serious relationship issues remain strong and foremost important.
The Rebound is not your typical romantic comedy. See for yourself.
