Themes: Opposites Attract, Battle of the Sexes, Single Life
Main Cast: Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Jackman, Marisa Tomei, Ellen Barkin
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Based on Laura Zigman's 1998 novel Animal Husbandry, this romantic comedy centers on Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd), a talk-show producer who finds herself suddenly abandoned by her boyfriend (Greg Kinnear). After this untimely breakup, Jane begins to develop a thesis that male behavior is directly related to that of wildlife, with similar patterns existing in both. She studies the tendency for animals to be noncommittal and compares men to bulls, dogs, and other creatures. To prove her theories, she enlists the help of her roommate Eddie (Hugh Jackman), a womanizer who falls into all of the patterns of her research. When applying her studies to Eddie, she gains exposure and suddenly becomes a sensation as a pseudonymous sex columnist. This is the second directorial effort from actor Tony Goldwyn, after his 1999 feature A Walk on the Moon. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Review
About as knee-deep in unoriginal territory as you can get while still remaining entertaining and somewhat charming, Tony Goldwyn's romantic comedy is buoyed by its two appealing, confident lead actors (Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman) and a smartly chosen supporting cast. There is very little in this film that hasn't been lifted from countless other movies of its type (notably Billy Wilder's entire oeuvre, for starters), but like the actor/director's superb, highly underrated first effort A Walk on the Moon, this film has enough scenes that ring true for intelligent audiences. The picture lacks assurance in a few departments (notably the wobbly adaptation of Laura Zigman's novel), but has a scrappy likability all its own. Judd, in particular, gives a surprisingly resourceful portrayal, proving she can do light comedy with the same ease as many of her contemporaries, who don't come off half as agreeably. The film was known during filming as Animal Husbandry, the title of the book on which it is based. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Fredda Slavin - Art Director, Kerry Barden - Casting, Billy Hopkins - Casting, Suzanne Smith - Casting, Jim Chory - Co-producer, Ann Roth - Costume Designer, Michelle Maitlin - Costume Designer, Thomas A. Reilly - First Assistant Director, Tony Goldwyn - Director, Dana Congdon - Editor, Rolfe Kent - Composer (Music Score), Dana Millman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Dan Leigh - Production Designer, Anthony Richmond - Cinematographer, Lynda Obst - Producer, Christine Moosher - Set Designer, James J. Sabat - Sound/Sound Designer, Elizabeth Chandler - Screenwriter, Rick Raphael - Additional Cinematography, Eliza Paley - Supervising Sound Editor, Rick Raphael - Second Assistant Camera, Christine Moosher - Set Decorator, Laura Zigman - Book Author
