Amy Adams has cornered the market on adorably cute and feisty young women seeking either the perfect guy or the recipe to change their lives (and land them the perfect guy). Here she’s working without a dramatic net (Meryl Streep has grounded her in Doubt and Julie & Julia), but she’s in the solid and rather capable hands of romantic partner Matthew Goode (he benefits from her firm grasps as well) as they swing through the familiar highs and lows of a meet-cute couple forced to travel together for a rendezvous with a third wheel (Adam Scott).
Goode sports enough cynical eye rolls for both his character and viewers in the seat as he and Adams tread down the well-worn path of their eventual hook-up. They can’t stand each other upon first sight, they bond over travel and cooking, they kiss passionately and they part with just the right amount of wistfulness before ... their shocking declarations of love and the happy-ever-after.
Adams is perfect for these affairs because she’s the plucky and utterly reasonable girl next door. Goode works here because his hardworking barkeep character is the free-spirited counter to the rich, yuppie type that has held the young lass in check for too long. Audiences will likely take a guilty leap with Adams and Goode but wish for a more committed effort from these two. Grade: C-
