The Morgan’s, Paul (Hugh Grant) and Meryl (Sarah Jessica Parker) have been separated for three months. To commemorate the anniversary of this event and as any excuse to get her back, Paul asks Meryl to dinner. She finds this idea ridiculous, as does her assistant (an underused Elizabeth “Mad Men” Moss.) But when Meryl agrees to go, the night ends in disaster. They witness a murder and are instantly put into a witness protection program. First of all, nobody is going to be put in witness protection for these reasons. And so the snappy script turns instantly into a fish-out-of-water scenario and improves as they get to cowboy territory in Ray, Wyoming. The local Marshalls that will keep them temporarily hidden until permanent locations can be found are Clay and Emma Wheeler (Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen). The Morgans quickly understand there is no internet but there is lots of meat in the freezer – meat that the Wheelers shot themselves. The air is too clean for jogging and there are no sounds of sirens and honking horns in the nighttime. While the dialog is amusing and the New Yorker/western scenarios fun, the problem is very visual and audio when it comes to any rom/com that includes Sarah JP: We see Carrie Bradshaw. We hear Carrie Bradshaw. And we expect “Mr. Big.” As for Hugh Grant, who’s aged considerably albeit still charming and debonair the way we adore him – and British – he can carry and adapt to any movie just as he did twenty years ago. He’s a true movie star in every sense of the word, and in this he’s Mr. Positive against Mrs. Whiner. He’s sees this is a vacation excuse to be close to his wife. She sees this as a living hell. Of the two holiday comedies out there, this one makes more sense then “It’s Complicated” and gives you the sweeter ending you’d hope for both of them. Three tiaras
