Leap Year, by Deborah Kaplan, 7 out of 10

Leap Year, by Deborah Kaplan,
7 out of 10


Even if the charming, outstanding Amy Adams, nominated for an incredible, given her young age, five Academy Awards, has the leading role in this romantic comedy, the film is still rather forgettable.

The phenomenal Amy Adams is Anna Brady, a young, determined, romantic, somewhat or maybe very naive young woman who travels to Ireland.
She wants to meet with her boyfriend, Jeremy, and...propose to him!

Irish custom would allow for this unfamiliar procedure on a Leap Year, therefore the name of the film and the center of the action.
Anna hires the services of Declan, portrayed by the very good Matthew Goode, who maintains a detached, sophisticated attitude, perhaps a bit too cynical at times.

Even in crucial moments, the hero can become annoying with his relaxed, splenetic take on rather dramatic occurrences, like the heroine returning from far away for him and then considering, maybe, suicide as a result of his apparent neglect of her extreme emotions.
The heroine and the man she had hired to drive her to Dublin have an antagonistic relationship in the first place.

But this has been a classic setup for such a long time.
It Happened One Night is like that.

When Daclan learns about the intention of his customer, he laughs and says something like:

If he had not asked you to marry him, what do you think the point is for you to ask him?!
He doesn't want that.

If he did, he would have asked you already, wouldn't he?

He was betrayed, and this is the main reason why Daclan is so negative and pessimistic.
On the other hand, the other man may be contemplating a deal and to get the flat and consider marriage as a sort of business transaction...

Part of a package.

The film is not bad, but it is not resplendent either.