For Your Amusement: "Something Borrowed" Movie Review

When I first started seeing commercials for Something Borrowed, I wanted to see it.

A. I heart Ginnifer Goodwin. Seriously—she’s just fresh faced pretty with a welcoming smile. Plus, I adored her in HBO’s hit series Big Love.

And

B. I heart John Krasinski. I’ve watched him for years on the television show The Office. His portrayal of Jim Halpert has always made me feel like we could easily be friends. It doesn’t hurt that he is easy on the eyes. If I was one to swoon, I’d swoon if I saw him in person.

I won’t claim to be a Kate Hudson fan so she had nothing to do with my desire to see this movie. I embrace terms like "chick flick" and even "chick lit," so seeing this heartwarming movie advertised with promises of female friendships being tested was an easy sell for someone like me. I heard the commercial’s voice over say “Kate Hudson is at her best,” but I didn’t hold my breath to see if that comment would ring true. I had two of my faves to enjoy in the film. The rest of the cast didn’t matter much.

The premise of the movie is that two life-long best friends, Rachel (Goodwin) and Darcy (Hudson) are hitting different milestones in their lives at the age of 30. Rachel is a single attorney with a trusty male friend, Ethan (Krasinski), at her side. Darcy is a firecracker, always up for fun, engaged to Rachel’s former law school crush, Dex (the hunky Colin Egglesfield).

As Rachel ends her 30^th birthday bash she ends up alone with her former crush Dex, who has returned to Rachel's party location to get his fiancé’s expensive handbag. The two old friends go for a drink, share some laughs and grab a cab to head home to their separate lives. Things get sticky when Dex kisses Rachel and one thing leads to another.

While Rachel and Dex try to figure out what they mean to each other, Ethan figures out what is taking place behind Darcy’s back. He begs Rachel to force Dex’s hand and asks her to have Dex choose between her or her best friend.'

Like most people put in a terrible spot, Rachel does make an attempt to do what’s right by her incredibly selfish and sometimes self-centered best friend. Toward the end of the film, we discover that Ethan is not just a great friend to Rachel, but he is also in love with her.

With the possible ending scenarios being Rachel and Ethan, Rachel and Dex, Rachel and a friend Darcy is pushing on her, or Rachel and no one, this movie was fun to watch and fun to attempt to predict.

Goodwin as Rachel gave this character a genuine relatable sweetness. Rachel is guilty of sleeping with her best friend’s fiancé, but somehow Goodwin makes this a completely forgivable offense. Hudson as Rachel was terrific.

Again—I did not start out on Team Hudson, but she did a great job in this film. At times you wanted to hug Darcy, then shake her, then just shrug your shoulders in disbelief and defeat at some of her antics. Hudson played this part perfectly, giving what could have been a deflated character dimension.

As for the hunky Colin Egglesfield as Dex, he didn’t bring enough to the table. A male attorney who doesn’t speak up seems like a bit of an oxymoron (to me) so I can’t claim that his character was lack-luster based entirely on bad acting. The script lacked in giving this character more...well, character.

Dex initially seems lost as to whom he should pick and he doesn’t want to let down his parents by possibly cancelling a wedding they are looking forward to. As much as you want to root for Dex (he IS gorgeous), it’s hard to want to give such a "lame" a happy ending.

Krasinski as Ethan was quite endearing. We watch him struggle with seeing his love and best female friend strung along and some of the film's best one-liners are quipped by Krasinski. (“You’re all going to hell anyway” did make me giggle!)

If I had to rate this movie on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 7. That high score is based on the performances of Goodwin, Hudson and Krasinski. I also enjoyed trying to figure out how the film would end. I think this film is great for a girl’s night out movie pick but might be an odd choice for a date night. I know I wouldn’t want to leave the theatre discussing best friends and lovers with my hubby. Awkward!