Hopefully it's long enough after Jersey Girl's release date to talk about this film. As a piece of really good art, this was not really close. As another (albeit very well told) story of a man's late coming-of-age when he realizes what was so plainly right in front of his very eyes: family. It doesn't hurt that it has several very popular screen names making cameo appearances (speaking to the greatness of Kevin Smith's role as a director), nor that the female roles are played by very competent and attractive actresses - Raquel Castro as the daughter, and Liv Tyler as the love interest. (It doesn't hurt that it has the late, great George Carlin,either.)
True, the broad-brush course of the film is easily discerned once Ollie Trinke's (Ben Affleck) wife (JLo) dies giving birth to their daughter. Of course, it becomes painfully clear as to how the film is slated to end (spoiler: it's a Hollywood-ending) once Maya (Liv Tyler) enters the scene. True, too, Smith throws the viewer several variations to the plot - Maya is a sexually liberated grad student who offers to sleep with Ollie once she learns (as she interviews him as one of her subjects-of-study) that he hasn't had sex for seven years - while also making fun of films of the genre - having all the parent-student performances be a rendition of the song Memories from Cats - and throwing in a few curveballs (that turn out not to be too difficult to hit).
In all, I think that this film is one of my more favorite of the genre. It blows It's a Wonderful Life out of the water (and I'm not just saying that because I see it so often), as well as both versions of The Parent Trap, or Maid in New York. Would I see it again? Likely not, but I'm also unlikely to put up a whole lot of protest to watching it again.
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