Product Description

Ashley Judd brings irresistible fun to this sassy romantic comedy about a young woman looking for Mr. Right... in all the wrong places! Jane Goodale (Judd) is a talk show talent scout whose shaky love life drives her to study the curious mating habits of the male animal. Dizzyingly sexy complications ensue whne her research turns her into a revered love guru - and lands her smack in-between hunky heartthrobs Hugh Jackman and Greg Kinnear.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6049 in DVD
• Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
• Released on: 2003-01-14
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
Despite its foregone conclusion, Someone Like You is an agreeable romantic comedy about how people construct elaborate defenses to cope with emotional anguish. Based on Laura Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry, the movie is purely formulaic, with a heroine's best friend (played here by Marisa Tomei) and other supporting roles that come straight from central casting. Even the lovelorn heroine is standard-issue for the genre, but as emotionally devastated talk-show booker Jane Goodale, Ashley Judd brings intelligent charm to a role that could have been maudlin and pathetic. For a while, Jane is pathetic: after being dumped by her seemingly devoted boyfriend Ray (Greg Kinnear), she turns heartbreak into a hobby, creating self-assuring theories about male behavior based on the mating habits of cows. She comforts herself with the certainty that all men are scum, when really she just can't accept rejection.

Cast adrift, Jane accepts a roommate offer from her womanizing colleague Eddie (X-Men's Hugh Jackman), who's been nursing his own heartbreak with lots of casual sex. You can see where this is going, and actor-director Tony Goldwyn (following his underrated drama Walk on the Moon) doesn't offer any surprises. But Goldwyn is alert to the comedy of human foibles, and the movie peaks when Jane's defenses are down and Judd's appeal shines at full intensity. At her best, Judd makes an average script better than it has a right to be, and while Kinnear perfects his smarmy routine, Jackman matches them both with star-making sincerity. Someone Like You won't win any awards for originality, but it's universal in its comedic sympathy for the brokenhearted. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Uplifting, Engaging Movie
It's nice to go to a fancy restaurant where you can sit down and have a big, juicy steak with all the trimmings, or a gourmet meal served on fine china. But sometimes you just feel like checking out the pizza buffet, and when the atmosphere is right and the pizza turns out to be perfect, it can be every bit as satisfying as haute cuisine. And that's the way it is with "Someone Like You," directed by Tony Goldwyn and starring Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear and Hugh Jackman. If you just want to relax and be entertained, with a movie that's not too challenging and let's you just go with the flow, then you've come to the right buffet. Ashley Judd is Jane Goodale, who begins a relationship with new co-worker Ray (Kinnear) that goes so well so quickly that she thinks it's going to last forever. And when it suddenly goes south for no apparent reason, she is crushed. Why did Ray jilt her? Was it just her, or is this just the way "Men" are? Her musings on the subject ultimately lead to the formulation of what she calls the "New Cow" theory, which basically states that once men, like bulls, have had the cow, they move on to yet another "new" cow, leaving the "old" cow behind. Realizing, of course, that lacking sufficient data her concept would never hold up to any real scientific scrutiny, she is afforded the chance to study it further when-- due to the circumstances of her breakup with Ray-- she finds herself without an apartment, and moves in with another co-worker, Eddie (Jackman). And Eddie is a notorious womanizer who seems to have a "new cow" every other day. Along the way, as Jane draws her final conclusions, there are some memorable-- and at times, humorous-- moments, like when Jane revives one of her old cheerleader routines for Eddie. But whether or not she is able to prove her theory doesn't really make any difference; the important thing is, you'll have a good time going along with her while she tries.

There's nothing very deep here, the plot is familiar in the genre of romantic comedy, and Goldwyn certainly doesn't break any new ground with it. He keeps things moving right along, but uses a straightforward approach to tell the story that is fairly unimaginative and lacks the distinction of say, a Nora Ephron film. Still, it's a good bit of entertainment, carried by the engaging performances of Judd and Jackman, which alone makes it worth the price of admission. Judd is a wholesome beauty with a natural appeal, and she can act; Jackman is charismatic and has a definite screen presence. And there's chemistry between the two of them that make it work. There's no real surprises along the way, but it's like taking your favorite scenic drive; you've seen it all before, but it's pleasant and fun, and in the end you're glad you took the trip.

The supporting cast includes Ellen Barkin (Diane), Marisa Tomei (Liz), Matthew Coyle (Staff Member), Hugh Downs (Himself) and LeAnna Croom (Rebecca). When you put it all into perspective, you realize that "Someone Like You" is actually a real treat. And Goldwyn, though he may not have given it that "special" touch, should be given credit for delivering a solid, uplifting and entertaining movie that is well worth seeing. It may not be in the same league as "Return To Me," or "You've Got Mail," but if you've ever been subjected to bottom-of-the-genre-feeders like "The Bachelor," or "The Wedding Planner," you'll definitely appreciate this one for what it is. It's warm and funny, and it'll leave you with a good feeling inside and a smile on your face. And that, my friends, is the magic of the movies.

Someone Like You
This movie is just what it appears to be, a fun entertaining way to spend an evening. The premise of the New Cow Theory is funny brought on by being dumped by a man yet again. Ashley Judd always provides the audience with an excellent performance. It doesn't matter what role she tackles, it is always solidly done. What a choice - being able to choose from Greg Kinnear and Hugh Jackman! It would be a no lose situation.

Slight but charming romantic comedy
Having read and only somewhat liked "Animal Husbandry", the book on which this film is based, I was skeptical. I had also heard horrible reviews of it, so to my surprise, I was entertained by this movie.

Ashley Judd plays Jane, a woman who undergoes a horrible breakup at the hands of Ray (Greg Kinnear). In the aftermath, she comes up with "Old/New Cow" theory--essentially, that a man who has slept with a woman will thereafter get tired of her and move on to a "new cow". Unlike the book, which details this theory in endless prose, the film cleverly uses titles and visuals of scientists testing this theory.

Ashley Judd isn't going to give Meg Ryan any fears about being dethroned as the romantic comedy heroine of choice. But Judd is charming, intelligent, and quirky as the female lead, and Hugh Jackman is attractive and testosterine-filled as the womanizing Eddie, who eventually becomes Jane's roommate.

One minor quibble, and that's that the movie changes the ending of the book somewhat to give a somewhat artificially happy ending. But who cares? This is a light, pleasant romantic comedy that--dare I say it--actually improves upon the book.