Stranger than Stereotype
Man meets woman, woman loathes man despite awkward chemistry. Man pronounces his love for women despite her much obliged resentment of everything he is (in this case, a tax man), eventually the woman comes around and falls in love, they live happily ever after, yadayadayadaya.
How is this story different from that of any other? The obvious would be the quirky concept, the predetermined path the hero receives by the pessimistic writer. Other than that the story is pretty much a basic outline of any romantic comedy-drama, you can pretty much foresee what is going to happen early on, and I could write a book on the stuff. This film is the definition of a stereotype- don’t get me wrong, it’s a great heartfelt comedy, but when it comes down to it, the skeleton of the whole thing is quite generic. From the methodic introduction to the “surprising” twist ending, this film’s brilliance is not in its character development or its underlying plot, but its surprisingly cool cast. A dull tax man (who would’ve been fit better with someone like Steve Carrel) and an anti-IRS baker, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, come together in an electric connection known as fate.
Yes, this is a great movie, a good watch, and even a decent story that keeps you wanting more. Overall though, it is unoriginal in its basic story-telling, and takes the “edge” out of “edge-of-your-seat”. The predictability of this film, with its, although odd, cast of characters can be broken down to nothing more than a basic formula.