When a movie has sat on a studio's shelf for well over a year, and has been shuffled through various release dates before being released during the dreary days of January, that is usually not a good sign of the film's quality. I remember seeing previews for Catch and Release back in December of 2005, only for the film to vanish without a trace, then quietly resurface in 2007. Needless to say, this did not fill me with hope. That's why it was quite a pleasant surprise to discover that not only is the film very watchable, but actually has quite a bit of charm going for it. It's far from perfect, but there's really no reason why the studio had to be so afraid to unleash this movie upon the public. Especially when films like Epic Movie and Blood and Chocolate get released without any hesitation.

As the film opens, we're introduced to young grieving widow Gray Wheeler (Jennifer Garner) who is burying her fiance, killed in an accident, on what was supposed to be her wedding day. She moves in with two best friends, Sam (Kevin Smith) and Dennis (Sam Jaeger), and tries to start her life anew, although she is finding it hard to move on. It becomes even harder when Gray discovers some messages left behind on her fiance's cell phone from another woman that seem to suggest that he was not entirely truthful with her during their relationship. Faced with the sudden realization that the man she loved may have been involved with a massage therapist in LA named Maureen (Juliette Lewis), and that he may have even had a child with her, Gray finds herself desperate for any kind of support. She finds it in Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), a close friend of her fiance whom she initially despises, but as she gets to know him, finds that there may be more to him than she initially thought.

Making her directorial debut, screenwriter Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich, In Her Shoes) has crafted a likeable romantic-comedy drama that plays it a little too bit by the book, but still manages to win us over. It is during the film's first half that the movie is at its best, as the movie treats Gray's grief over the sudden tragedy in her life honestly and with respect. The funeral is held on the day that was supposed to be their wedding, and there is a heartbreaking moment early on as Gray watches through the window as a man delivering wedding flowers is turned away, the flowers being replaced by funeral wreaths. As Gray slowly starts to piece together the secret life of the man she thought she knew, we become interested, and the movie knows how to hold onto that interest without falling into the trap of melodrama. When we do meet the other woman, Maureen, she seems a bit off the wall, but she is still portrayed as a real person, and one who eventually comes across as being very likeable. The screenplay by Grant is too smart to vilify this woman who is actually in the same position as Gray is, and did not know about the other life the man she loved lead. While the movie is fairly confident dealing with these heavier issues, it is when the movie tries to be light that the film starts to lose some of its sure footing. The key problem I think is in the portrayal of the budding relationship between Gray and Fritz. It seems rushed and forced, almost as if the characters are falling in love because the audience respects them to. Though they never come across as an unlikeable couple, the movie strangely spends so little time on them and their relationship that we never feel as emotionally connected to them as we probably should be. We care about Gray uncovering the truth behind the past and about her moving on, but we find ourselves caring less about whom she decides to move on with. This creates a somewhat uneven tone that carries throughout the film. It's not enough to hurt the movie, but it's still strong enough to leave a negative impression.

What mainly keeps Catch and Release afloat is the wonderful cast of characters, the performances that embody them, and the mostly smart and often very funny dialogue that they have. This is the rare film that treats the "best friend" characters not simply as advice givers or easy comic relief, but as real characters who get to be fully fleshed out and developed during the course of the film. Sam is dealing with some personal feelings of guilt surrounding the death of Gray's fiance, which come to light a few days after the funeral, and Dennis has a few emotions that cause some problems for Gray. Their individual emotions and dramas ring true, helping the subplots flow naturally from the story itself, instead of feeling tacked on. And, as previously mentioned, even the character of Maureen is eventually able to rise above her initial obnoxious impression, and come across as being sympathetic. It's strange that these characters and their desires seem to be fleshed out so much better than Gray's efforts to move on with her life. It almost seems as if Grant became bored with the character of Gray once the dramatic part of her story was over, and decided to turn all of her attention to the secondary characters in the later half of the film. There's no denying that these characters deserve the attention the screenplay gives them, and they keep our interest when Gray's story starts to flounder.

Despite its very uneven tone, the film usually always manages to entertain thanks to some strong performances all around. Jennifer Garner is extremely sympathetic and likeable as Gray, as we can easily identify with her feelings and the situation she finds herself in. Even when she becomes a bit less interesting during the film's second half, Garner still manages to at least hold onto the nature of the character so that we don't forget why we liked her in the first place before the screenplay let her (and us) down. Timothy Olyphant as the new man in her life isn't nearly as interesting, mainly because we learn less about him. Regardless, he still has some good chemistry with Garner, and is easy to root for in his own way. In the supporting roles, the main stand out is Kevin Smith as the goofy, yet sweet-natured, Sam. Best known for directing and starring in his own series of raunchy slacker comedies such as Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy, Smith shows genuine charm from his opening scene and proves that he may still have what it takes to be a real actor outside of his own comedies. Juliette Lewis is also a find as Maureen, and gets to share a couple of great scenes both with Garner and Smith. A lesser actress probably would have played up the stranger qualities of the character, but Lewis is able to find the proper balance between strangeness and humanity that avoids making the character an over the top cartoon portrayal.
I got the sense while watching Catch and Release that writer-director Susannah Grant was really on to something here, but still managed to lose her way from time to time. The movie is constantly flipping back and forth between material that works and material that does not. Still, the movie left me with a mostly positive reaction, even if the ending seemed a bit too pat and neatly tied together for its own good. Perhaps another rewrite was in order so that the character of Gray and her relationship with Fritz could be given the time and attention it needed to succeed. Whatever the case, Catch and Release is still able to rise above the curse of the movie that's been sitting on the shelf for far too long, and come across as a mostly pleasant diversion during the bleak winter months.

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