The humble romcom has become a bit of a lame duck of late. Formulaic plots, wooden dialogue and a conveyer belt lack of originality mean that even the most dedicated fans of the genre are coming out of the cinema wondering what happened to the com in rom? And what was Katherine Heigl thinking? The Rebound makes no pretensions to be anything else, but thanks to a snappy script and some real funnies, it’s a romcom that does exactly what it says on the tin.
If you haven’t noticed, there is a revolution going on. It’s official- older women are allowed to date younger men. We have an official name; Cougars and a successful patron; Demi Moore. The Rebound jumps nimbly on the band wagon and has recently divorced Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) falling in love with a man young enough to be her son. Justin Bartha is funny and charming as Aram, the younger man, and Sandy’s kids are delightfully morbid and outspoken. The weakest link is Zeta-Jones herself, who never fully convinces as the neurotic older woman. There are other problems too, Hollywood women, for whatever reason, simply don’t look their age, so it’s hard muster up any genuine sympathy when you can’t actually see the incongruity between them. An overload of smaltz at the end may have you reaching for the sick bucket, but at least The Rebound gives us satisfying conclusion, and finally lets an older woman have a happy ending.
Showing @ Filmhouse 23rd June 20.45 and 24th June 18.45