It’s One Fine Day…

…for a Meg Ryan movie. You know, those feel-good Meg movies? The Meg from the 90s (and a teeny bit of the start of the 2000s). Gosh, can’t remember when last I’ve watched something with her in. And, it’s a rainy day. Perfect for a screwball romcom. Oh…and even better for cheering up bloggers who found themselves in the Blogathon Blues.

So Paul here’s for you and what else but Addicted to Love (1997).

Back in the day, any Meg Ryan movie that came out, I’d head off to the cinema with my school friends to watch. No discussion. But Addicted to Love managed to fly under my movie radar. No idea why I missed that one. But, somehow it made its into my DVD collection. “Somehow” meaning: it had Meg in it and I was in the mood for a romcom I hadn’t seen before. And it didn’t disappoint back then or now (or the times I’ve seen it in between).

Maggie‘s (Meg Ryan) former fiancé and Sam‘s (Matthew Broderick) girlfriend (well, by this stage “former” too) have fallen in love. What was meant to be a two month teaching trip for Linda (Kelly Preston) to New York turned out to be a falling in love with French restaurateur Anton (Tchéky Karyo). Sam desperately believing he and Linda are soulmates, heads to New York to get her back. And finds himself in an abandoned building opposite the one where Anton has his swish apartment. This to bide out the time until what he believes will be breakup time. Maggie wants revenge. Big time revenge. She wants to bring Anton to his knees. For using her. And so ends up…well, in an abandoned building opposite the one where Anton has his swish apartment. Yep, that one. Sam’s one.

Maggie is tough, no-nonsense and cynical (as only Meg could be). Sam is sweet and naive. They couldn’t be different. And, while tolerating each other, they end up scheming together to reach their respective goals. Not noticing, of course, that they more than just a perfect team. That’s why it is a romcom after all.

This one I find slightly different to the others of the genre. While it starts out in that off-beat and screwball manner (you can see it coming just from the opening tune), I personally find it doesn’t quite follow the typical “formula” of this genre but almost becomes serious in the last third. Not in a bad way but it tends to be more thought provoking. The viewer (and Sam) soon comes to realise that Maggie has lost the plot somewhere along the line and that her revenge has gone far beyond just getting even. But, with this there comes a bittersweet ending. One not so typical of the screwball romcoms (I once again was in tears (poor Lassie)) but just as satisfying.

Perfect rainy day watching with Meg Ryan the best in these roles. I especially love her character in this one especially her biker look (love the glasses). As always, she brings a refreshing quirkiness to the movie.

But now, before you watch this, head on over to Paul of Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies (here) who is hosting this Addicted to Love on One Fine Day Blogathon and even more importantly, is the biggest Addicted to Love and One Fine Day fan ever!