FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
SEEING OTHER PEOPLE
Alice (Julianne Nicholson) and Ed (Jay Mohr), are a happy engaged young couple. They play
board games, do the dishes together; he flosses while she goes to the potty. Yes, everything is
fine and dandy - until the night of their engagement party when, as in a perfectly imagined
sitcom, Alice accidentally gets stuck in the closet while two people have anonymous sex on her
sister's bed. Instead of sharing her embarrassment with her fiancé and just laughing it off, Alice
laments not having more of a sexual history herself. She decides that she and Ed should sleep
with other people - and share their experiences(!) - before they walk down the aisle. Ed, showing
he is somewhat sane, initially refuses. Unfortunately, Alice persists, and Ed reluctantly agrees -
he doesn't believe she could ever go through with it. Eager to prove, however, that she too can be
wild and spontaneous, Alice picks up the first cute guy who crosses her path. Pretty
soon Alice begins spending less and less time with Ed, who becomes jealous and begins having
liaisons of his own.
Instead of turning this film into a cheesy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (a likely
possibility, given the outlandish plot), writers Forbes (TV's The Larry Sanders Show) and Wolodarsky (The Simpsons) have thankfully created a
unique romantic comedy that is full of heart and heartache. Touching performances by Mohr
(Jerry Maguire) and Nicholson (Tully) make this movie endearing. Mohr
does a fabulous job blending male ego with vulnerability, while Nicholson brings a sweet naiveté
to Alice. Look for some surprise cameos and hilarious subplots featuring Lauren Graham
(Gilmore Girls), Josh Charles (Sports Night), and Malcolm in the Middle's
patriarch, Bryan Cranston, who steals his every scene. Tanya Chesterfield
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