Before You Say 'I Do' (2009)

A different way of telling a story

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

George (David Sutcliffe) is very much in love with his beautiful girlfriend, Jane (Jennifer Westfeldt). During a night of holding hands by the fire and munching on fondue, George whips out a gorgeous diamond for Jane's left hand. But, although Jane initially says yes, much to the delight of her co-worker, Mary (Lauren Holly), the small newspaper editor gets chilly feet. That's because she was once married to a dirtbag (Jeff Roop) who cheated on her repeatedly, even on the night of the rehearsal dinner. So, Jane, weeping, tells George the wedding is off. Very distraught, advertising executive George, who has a habit of wishing and driving through "yellow" traffic lights, makes a big new request. IF ONLY he could go back ten years before, to prevent Jane from marrying the first time. Unhappily, he's not watching his driving and gets in a crash, bumping his head. All of a sudden, he IS back in time, with a chance to lure Jane away from her intended cad. But, since the wedding is only a few days away, will George be successful? This is a very fine film for romcom fans. The two stars are quite nice and attractive, as is the supporting cast, and the plot has a satisfying mixture of humor, fantasy, and romance. Costumes are wonderful, with Westfeldt looking gorgeous, and setting, script and direction keep the film nicely on track. Do say "I do" to this flick, romcom fans, before too long. You will in the same happy state as would result from a three pound box of Dove chocolates.

What a bunch of obnoxious characters. Who cares how they manipulate their miserable self serving destinies. .. and what a sad fate for middle aged desperate victims of cosmetic surgery daytime TV jobbing actors to end up in tripe like this.On the other hand my wife sat watching this with a big grin on her face and a tissue on stand-by in case the tears stared flowing.We've had Hallmark Channel for at least 10 years and doubt if we could work up enthusiasm for more than one or two of it's 'entertainment products in that entire decade.I had indigestion for most of this films running time.

This movie is a twist on the classic love triangle: good guy, bad guy and the (reasonably) hot girl. And viewers are soon left in no doubt as to who is who in this movie. Otherwise, I shall say no more on the story. Yet somehow, despite much in the way of predictability, a fine movie is somehow (as if by magic) still very much delivered. Albeit, this is no Bela Tarr and it certainly could not win any festival awards. It is, let's be frank, a 'girly movie' which also manages to hold it together sufficiently so that viewers of a more discerning disposition will also not mind watching it at all. In other words, this movie really should appeal to a wide cross section of people, and those behind it should be congratulated for producing a very watch-able love story. As a romantic fantasy it is quite compelling. So throw away any ideas of syrupy 'BS' and watery piano tunes: this movie thankfully avoids most of what could be expected of a 'romantic fantasy' driven plot. In fact its current rating of 5.9 is rather unjust given that the screenplay, direction and acting are about as tight, (& please forgive my saying so...) as the said Miss Hottie's curves.Frankly, this movie is for when you *owe* her one - because your numero uno's been watching too many of 'your' boring men's movies of late, and it be time to redress the balance. Fear not! The fact is you'll probably enjoy it too! A 7/10

Enjoyable romantic comedy where a woman turns down the proposal of an advertising executive because of the horrible experience she had with her first husband.Rejected, our advertising guy meets up with a car accident and sustains a concussion. He is transported back in time to 1999, the object of the movie is where he tries to thwart the first marriage to begin with. This is certainly a very interesting plot and all the characters do well in their respective roles.There is some confusion at the film's end. Suddenly, our guy is celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary. Evidently, he was able to thwart the marriage. When he wakes up surrounded by all the guests at his 10th wedding anniversary, this in a way reminds me of Dorothy waking up after her Oz adventure.Overall, a fun-filled, enjoyable movie.