Review: Two Weeks Notice

This year plenty of good and warmhearted comedies have been released. These have been extremely laughable, while showcasing talent as well. Among these films were Sweet Home Alabama, The Banger Sisters, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Two Weeks Notice is unfortunately not one of them. It constantly rehashes old material, and wastes Bullock and Grant’s excellent comedic talents. The genre has become one big clique, with a few exceptions. My question is: when will a fresh, new type of humor hit?

The plot follows the typical romantic-comedy equation, which has become old and tiring. Two Weeks Notice has a couple of clever and well-written lines, but they are overshadowed by simplistic situations. Grant has always played the typical funny-man, that women love, but here, he is greedy business person, who only shows true generosity on rare occasion. Bullock proved that she could do both comedy and drama when the hilarious Miss Congeniality hit in 2000, but her character in this movie, Lucy, doesn’t reach below skin-deep. I hate to say it, but Two Weeks Notice is a waste.

Director Marc Lawrence does little to nothing, literally. All of the shots are perfectly focused, but there is no creativity in his work. As most recent teen-oriented movies do, Two Weeks Notice sets out to obtain as much money as possible, with little work. The film is comprised of foolishly careless work that won’t please audiences in the least bit. If you’re looking for a quirky, light, and charming romance; this is definitely not to see. The film doesn’t play with our emotions in the least bit, and this leaves it without a purpose. If the screenplay were to expand on its ideas in a unique way, then it might’ve worked; but this end result does not.

The characters dull, and stressed personalities don’t help the film as a whole, either. They are depressed, and not what viewers want to see. The upbeat characters in Orange County and Legally Blonde were fun and exciting to watch, while those in Two Weeks Notice are just stupid. We don’t feel for them, and this is made possible by a combination of bad writing and reckless acting. I don’t see why a major studio would want to put out this trash! A solid and established franchise like Warner Brothers shouldn’t have to rely on films like these to make them money. There are many more, better, options.

Two Weeks Notice isn’t horrendous, but it’s not exactly durable either. Many people like romantic comedies, and I don’t mind them; but this film, in particular, wastes good talent. It’s almost disgraceful that enchanting films, like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, were sacrificed from several theatres for this mediocre material. Similar to Scooby Doo, this flick is simply flat, for lack of a better term. Two Weeks Notice will make an entertaining 99 cent rental when the time comes, but for now; don’t bother.

-Danny, Bucket Reviews