DVD Alex & Emma (Widescreen Edition)

The novel is a 1924 tale involving Adam Shipley (also played by Luke Wilson), an Andover student who takes a summer job tutoring the children of Polina Delacroix (Sophie Marceau). The situation quickly becomes the classic story of a love triangle , with Polina faced with the dilemma of having chosen to marry for money but meanwhile increasing attracted to Adam. As Adam schemes how to become wealthy, his infatuation for Polina keeps him from recognizing his attraction for the various incarnations of her servant (the character keeps morphing as the story is rewritten), so Kate Hudson becomes the Swede Ylva, then the German Elsa, followed by the Spaniard Eldora before ending up as the American Anna. This is all done in a very clever and lighthearted manner.

Meanwhile, the novel's scenes are interspersed with the development of the relationship betwen Alex and Emma during their increasing frantic attempt to meet the Alex's deadline. And not at all surprisingly, their real lives intersect with the plotline of the novel. Emma increasingly wonders if there is a real life Polina? Why is Alex as afraid of commitment as his characters? The cast gives the movie just the right feel, and Rob Reiner does a great job as both producer and director as well as in his small but crucial supporting role. There is enough time for the story to develop, but the various elements of the story aren't stretched out unnecessarily.

This is a very clever, quite funny film. The humor is often low key (as in the instance of the law firm and its partners), rather than the slapstick hilarity that occasions raucous laughter. Thus, when not actually laughing we were almost constantly smiling. The key point is that the story and the techniques that are used to tell it work well in my estimation, rather than seeming to be forced into service to tell the story. I truly enjoyed the multiple roles played by Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson and their various romantic entanglements. It was especially fun to see Ms. Hudson alternate between Emma and her serial incarnations as Ylva, Elsa, Eldora, and Anna. And much to my surprise, the ending was a perfect conclusion to both the novel and the film.

The story of this romantic comedy is, simply put, "When Alex meets Emma (or vice virsa)" directed by Rob Reiner, who knows a few things about this genre. Alex (Luke Wilson) is a writer stumbled on the writer's block, and in debt. He must make money in 30 days, and to do so, he hires a stenographer Emma (Kate Hudson), and attempts to finish writing a novel.

The novel develops, thanks to the unexpected inspiration from Emma. It is about Adam, a tutor living in the 1920s, who falls in love with a French lady Polina (Sophie Marceau). From then on, we see two stories one after the other, both influencing each other.

NOW, the good thing about "A & E" is that Kate Hudson (who plays five roles in this film) is delightful to see. Luke Wilson is also good and likable, and they make a couple of man and woman who must fall in love with each other. And we know it, and welcome it.

BUT the problem is, as I said before, the setting. In the original "Gambler", Dostoevskey had to submit his rights for publishing his novels to the greedy publisher, not his life as depicted here. No one believes in the central story of "Alex & Emma" when it talks about the 30 days limit and being killed. Think about it. Some mobsters are after you, and they want the money back. However, they burn (yes, literally burn) your lap-top PC, which only prevents your scheme of returning money.

That's a too obvious and tactless device on the filmmaker's side to have Alex hire Emma. And in the original, the stenographer has no other place to go except the writer (it was the 19th century, and women's jobs were quite limited). In "Alex and Emma," though Emma needs money (she comes by bus, see?), and she knows Alex is broke because of gambling, she still decides to work for him as long as 30 days without being even paid in advance! And to make matters worse, what Alex writes is not funny at all, but still we are to believe this "story within story" is to be a hit to pay back all the debt. Sorry, but I can't believe it.

"Alex & Emma" is engaging only when it forgets its plot, which is a poor excuse for bringing the leads together. And Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson do their jobs quite nicely. Pity that the characters are empty, and the story unbelievable. "When Harry met Sally ..." are about real people. The same cannot be said about "Alex & Emma."