Film Reviews by NO

I may find myself in a minority of about one, but I found almost nothing to like about this film: the supposedly ingenious plot device of having the lead be a character in another's book is well-worn, and this incarnation is sluggish and predictable. The doe-eyed Anna (Maggie Gyllenhall) is intensely annoying from start to finish, and her relationship with Harold is an affront to plausibility. Equally implausible, if not downright incomprehensible, is the choice Harold makes at the film's climax (did I miss something?). Even the usually sublime Emma Thompson is guilty of some seriously over-acting. Some (cookie) crumbs of entertainment were provided by decent performances by Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah, but overall a dull and unimaginative experience.