COUGAR FROWN
Zeta Jones is unable to rescue romantic yarn that fails to fire
THE REBOUND (15A) 
THE STARS: Catherine Zeta Jones, Justin Bartha, Kelly Gould.
THE STORY: When Sandy's betrayed by her husband, her middle-class life is thrown into disarray after she quits the family home with her kids for a new life in New York.
But as she meets a sweet but much younger guy, the 40-year-old mum must decide whether to plunge back into the dating game.
IN REAL life the Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones has a happy long-term marriage to Michael Douglas, a man almost a quarter of a century her senior.
However, in this movie it's Catherine who plays the older woman, a betrayed housewife who, when she goes it alone, catches the eye of a bloke 15 years younger.
The movie centres on the dilemmas of Sandy (Zeta Jones), a 40-year-old mother-of-two who thinks she has an ideal relationship
with her hubby - until she finds him in a compromising position with a female neighbour.
Devastated by his infidelity she decides not only to quickly arrange their divorce, but to take her kids, move to New York City with the
kids and start a completely new life for herself.
Plush
Initially, switching from a plush house in the suburbs to a pokey flat in a run-down part of NYC comes as a bit of a shock to Sandy, though on the plus side she's loving the independence that her new changes are bringing and which she is only realising she has long craved.
A long-term interest in sports lands her a job as a junior copywriter with a media agency. Things take a turn for the better when she befriends Aram (Bartha), an endearing twenty-something dreamer who has no idea what he wants to do with his life.
Tired of working at the coffee shop, Aram jumps at the offer of a job minding Sandy's kids who he has already hit it off with.
This does not impress his parents, who are wondering what their boy is going to do with his college education, and bemuses his
friends, who think Aram has a crush on the older woman.
The current trend for 'cougar' comedies may lead you to believe this is a sassy, sexy affair about older woman getting it on with younger man - especially as some of the film's promotional posters show Bartha with a pair of Sandy's knickers in his mouth.
The truth is anything but, and the fact that this is actually a more gentle slow burner should make it a bit more endearing, particularly as their relationship unfolds very awkwardly and tentatively.
Their romance also struggles because Sandy thinks it ridiculous that their relationship could survive because of the age gap.
Tender
All thoughtful, tender stuff - but unfortunately the earnest ideas put forward by director Bart Freundlich pretty much fall apart in the execution.
I never really believed Catherine Zeta Jones' portrayal of Sandy.
She just feels miscast in the role and despite the best efforts, the two leads completely lack the sort of on-screen chemistry you need to make an intimate story like this feel real.
Attempts at humour don't pan out well either and the director's attempts to inject some screwball humour into the tale just aren't, well, funny.
Bartha, the least crazy one from The Hangover, manages to make the younger man sweet and thoughtful, but as a character he
also feels a bit too good to be true.
THE VERDICT:
Its intentions - to bring to life a romance between two apparently-different people - are good. But The Rebound just doesn't generate enough humour or warmth to recommend it and what ends up unfolding is a slow-mover rather than a slow-burner.
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Spike's robotic romp is superb
WITH cult films Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are under his belt, and classic music videos such as Fatboy Slim's
Praise You and the Beastie Boys' Sabotage to his name, there was no doubt that Spike Jonze's latest creation would wow.
I'm Here - his 30-minute short film premiered globally at the Sundance Film Festival 2010 to rave reviews.
And premiering in Ireland at the Galway Arts Festival this month, the American filmmaker won over audiences this side of the pond as well.
I'm Here is set in a world where robots and humans co-exist, though the former is only used for menial jobs and nothing much else.
However, that's slowly changing - robots are actually evolving - and Jonze has set his film at a time where some robots are beginning to find a purpose; a reason for existence. They're also beginning to fall in love.
The movie focuses on the relationship between two robots living in LA - sad-eyed robot librarian Sheldon (Andrew Garfield) and
Francesca, a creative and free-spirited female robot (played by Sienna Guillory).
Although a love story, this 30-minute clip is bittersweet as it focuses on the kind of relationship where one person is enabling the
other to self-destruct right before their eyes.
In human terms this could be the story of somebody who falls in love with an alcoholic or an addict but in robot terms it takes a different twist.
I'm Here by Spike Jonze is a creative collaboration with ABSOLUT vodka, the iconic brand renowned for its pioneering and culture-shaping activity
ABSOLUT's partnership with the creative world began in 1985 with Andy Warhol, who created his own interpretation of the iconic bottle.
To check out the movie log onto imherethemovie.com.
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