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Down With Love - Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor (2003)
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Synopsis of the DVD Movie: Down With Love
Barbara hits 1962 New York City with her new book, "Down With Love," a pre-feminist manifesto saying "no" to love and "yes" to career, empowerment--and sex. As Barbara's revolutionary tome rockets to the top of the best-seller charts, she becomes the target of ace journalist Catcher "Catch" Block, ladies' man/ man's man/ man about the town, who is determined to take her down. Catch's best friend and boss, the neurotic and lovesick Peter McMannus, tries to rein in his star writer, while haplessly pursuing the object of his affections, Vicki Hiller, Barbara's brilliant and feisty editor. Vicki plays tough in a man's world, which includes her old style chauvinist boss, Theodore Banner.
DVD Movie Rating for: Down With Love
Rating 2 out of 5 stars
Movie Plot of: Down With Love
Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger) has just come down from Maine to New York after writing a book called Down With Love. The book instructs women to have sex the way a man does, and to detach oneself from love completely. Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor) is a successful journalist tapped to write a cover story on Novak. He blows her off at every opportunity to cuddle with flight attendants. However, when Novak's book is a complete success, Catcher finds himself being blown off by her! So he starts to write an expose and disguises himself as a naive astronaut named Zip Martin. But he can't imagine what happens next!
DVD Production Details of: Down With Love
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor
Director: Peyton Reed
Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Video
DVD Release Date: October 7, 2003
DVD Features:
Commentary by director Peyton Reed
Four deleted scenes with optional director commentary
"Here's to Love" original network TV performance!
"Guess My Game" featuring celebrity guest Barbara Novak - original network broadcast
Hair and wardrobe tests
Blooper reel
Featurettes: On Location, Creating the World, The Costumes, The Swingin' Sounds, Down with Love Up with Tony Randall, Split Decisions
HBO special
"Down with Love" testimonial
Widescreen anamorphic format
DVD Easter Eggs
None
Cast of the movie: Down With Love
- Renée Zellweger .... Barbara Novak
- Ewan McGregor .... Catcher Block
- Sarah Paulson .... Vikki Hiller
- David Hyde Pierce .... Peter MacMannus
- Rachel Dratch .... Gladys
- Jack Plotnick .... Maurice
- Tony Randall .... Theodore Banner
- John Aylward .... E.G.
- Warren Munson .... C.B.
- Matt Ross .... J.B.
- Michael Ensign .... J.R.
- Timothy Omundson .... R.J.
- Jeri Ryan .... Gwendolyn
- Ivana Milicevic .... Yvette
- Melissa George .... Elkie
- Dorie Barton .... Sally
- Laura Kightlinger .... Receptionist
- Chris Parnell .... TV Emcee
- Robert Katims .... Dry Cleaner
- Florence Stanley .... Dry Cleaner's Wife
- John Christopher Storey .... Maitre D'
- Peter Spruyt .... Waiter
- Lynn Collins .... Beatnik Girl
- David Doty .... Doorman
- Jude Ciccolella .... Private Eye
- Will Jordan .... Ed Sullivan
- Brad Hanson .... Johnny Trementus
- Beth LaMure .... CBS Switchboard Operator #1
- Christie Cronenweth .... CBS Switchboard Operator #2
- Megan Denton .... Astronette #1
- Melanie Lewis .... Astronette #2
- Sybil Azur .... Astronette #3
- Joanna Collins .... Astronette #4
- Sandra McCoy .... Astronette #5 (as Sandra C. McCoy)
- Sarah Christine Smith .... Astronette #6
- Norman Fessler .... Photographer
- Marc Shaiman .... Pianist
- Scott Wittman .... Bartender
- Pat Cusick .... Waiter (as Patrick Cusick)
- Rick Scarry .... Narrator (voice)
- Basil Hoffman .... C. W. (uncredited)
- Turtle .... Beatnik (uncredited)
Photo Gallery of the movie: Down With Love
Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs
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Reviews of the movie: Down With Love
Sweet valentine to the Hudson/Day romantic sex farces
DOWN WITH LOVE (2003) *** Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor,
David Hyde Pierce, Sarah Paulson, Tony Randall, Rachel Dratch, Jeri Ryan, Ivana Milicevic, Chris Parnell, Melissa George, Lynn Collins, Laura Kightlinger. Delightful homage to ‘50s Doris Day/Rock Hudson sex farces with Zellweger as an author of a self-help book in essence for women to reclaim independence by forsaking emotions (i.e. love) for self-respect and McGregor as a skirt-chasing playboy journalist for a men's magazine a la Esquire who is assigned to interview her by his namby pamby editor and best bud (Pierce) but winds up attempting to expose her as a phony by making a play for her under a false identity. Innuendos up the ying yang and some inspired shtick fuel the confectionary light fluff in this cute valentine to the Kennedy era of the battle of the sexes with appealing work by the leads and supporting leads (including Paulson as Zellweger's dead-pan publisher) but the real stars are the perfect production design Andrew Laws, inspired costumes by Daniel Orlandi and sleek cinematography by Jeff Cronenweith combined with the double entendre stuffed screenplay by the writing team of Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake with
The bright, glossy world of Doris Day and Rock Hudson sex comedies gets a self-aware brush-up in Down with Love. Pillow-lipped Renée Zellweger (Chicago) plays Barbara Novak, the author of a bestselling book called Down with Love that advises women to focus on their careers and have sex à la carte--just like a man would. Determined to prove that Novak is just as vulnerable to love as any woman, dashingly chauvinist magazine writer Catcher Block (ever-charming Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge) pretends to be a courtly astronaut who wouldn't dream of putting his hand on a woman's knee. This piffle of a story seems like nothing more than an excuse for ironic double-entendres and dazzling production design, until a sneaky plot twist suddenly raises the stakes for the movie's end. As he always does, the brilliant David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) scores the most comic points as Block's fussy editor.
