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All Movie Info
Starring:
Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Sam Jaeger, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis, Fiona Shaw, Tina Lifford, Yorgo Constantine, Sonja Bennett, Christopher Redman, Georgia Craig, Joyce Krenz, Joshua Friesen, Joyce Krenz, Daniel A. Parker, Nancy Hower
Directed By:
Susannah Grant
Written By:
Susannah Grant
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Catch and Release (2007)
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Movie Review by Matthew 
February 2nd, 2007
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"Catch and Release", the new romantic comedy starring Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis and Kevin Smith is a pleasant surprise. January is generally the time of year many studios tend to do two things; they dump films they don't have confidence in and know are terrible, trying to earn a few bucks before the inevitable DVD release and they also open Oscar contenders in wider release. As a movie fan who lives in Los Angeles, where Oscar contenders are released in December, January is a wasteland for filmgoers. So, it was a very pleasant surprise to see "Catch and Release", a new, very well-made romantic comedy.
Gray (Jennifer Garner) mourns the death of her fiancee on the day she was supposed to be married. As she stands among the group of friends and family wishing her and her once and future mother-in-law (Fiona Shaw) their condolences, she watches a delivery truck deliver the flowers for her now cancelled wedding. Feeling claustrophobic, she retreats to the bathroom and hides in the tub, closing the shower curtain. A few moments later, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), one of her fiancee's friends, a movie director from Hollywood, rushes into the bathroom with a girl and they proceed to have sex, unaware of Gray's presence. As Fritz basks in the afterglow, she appears and stares at him with disgust. Later, she finds Fritz is rooming with Dennis (Sam Jaeger) and Sam (Kevin Smith), her fiancee's roommates and business partner, reluctant to return to Hollywood after a movie deal fell through. Unable to afford the rent on her new apartment, she moves in to her boyfriend's room. Soon, Gray begins to learn things about her fiancee that she didn't know. Maureen (Juliette Lewis), a massage therapist from Los Angeles, with a small son, arrives looking for the deceased; he is the father of her child and she is curious why his monthly support check has stopped. All of these people come together to form an uneasy relationship, helping each other cope with the loss of their friend. As the days pass, Gray and Fritz begin to run into each other and begin spending time together. But Gray is reluctant to call it a relationship and let Sam and Dennis know they are a couple.
Writer/ Director Susannah Grant, whose previous credits as a writer include "Erin Brockovich" and "Pocahontas", creates a richly detailed look at these people's lives. As a premiere directorial effort, she shows a lot of natural talent. The film occasionally veers a little too much into sitcom territory, but overall, "Catch" is a remarkably well-made romantic comedy.
Pretty much everything that works in this film is something that shouldn't or wouldn't work in the hands of a less talented director. Grant gets a lot of credit for using some of these things and and making them work. As the film begins, we see Gray (Garner) standing in the middle of a crowded room, watching other people try to give solace to her once and future mother-in-law (Shaw) and she watches people approach her in dread, clearly uncomfortable. These images are probably enough, but Grant has Garner provide some voice over further illuminating the character's feelings and thoughts. The voice over works; in a few short moments, we come to know quite a bit about her. Throughout "Catch" the voice over returns occasionally, helping to provide more information throughout the story. As we meet the individual characters, we should like some of them and dislike others. Grant does a better job than that, providing each character with both good and bad character traits. In other words, many of the characters are more human because of this. These characters come alive and seem more like someone you might meet on the street.
Garner does a very good job of portraying Gray. As a young woman who now has found her life has completely changed course, she is naturally going through a rough time. As we watch this journey, Garner brings both Gray's good qualities and bad qualities to life. She clearly cared for her dead fiancee, but also cares for her friends and tries to help them cope as she tries to cope with the loss. When she finds out about Maureen (Lewis), she is initially shocked, angered and confused. But when she meets the woman and sees her son, she begins to realize she can't completely shut them out of her life, for her fiancee's sake, because they are inexplicably intertwined. The relationship with Fritz also builds naturally. Gray and Fritz basically run into each other as each goes through their day. They hang around a bit, get to know each other and start looking for ways to hang out together.
It won't fit. Please read the full review at thornhillatthemovies.com
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 | Zara
Feb 2, 2007 11:38 PM
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I'll be honest, I didn't read the review because I'm still somewhat interested in seeing the movie and I try not to read the reviews beforehand.
I just wanted to say that I mainly wanted to see it for Timothy Olyphant. That man could do no wrong in my opinion and I'm sincerely hoping that they didn't make him pu**y out for this flick. |
 | Penny
Apr 17, 2007 2:27 PM
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| I really liked this movie as well. Garner is adorable in it. |
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