Her Minor Thing (2005) Reviews

• Very Sweet and Original

  soccer.goalie@verizon.net2005-06-11

  I was lucky enough to see the world primer of "Her minor Thing" at the Seattle International Film Festival. The director, writers, producers, and the two main actors (Christian Kane and Estella Warren) were also attending. After a introduction be the SIFF coordinator and a short film called "Hello" the film begin. I won't walk you through every single scene of the film, but I will give you my overall impressions. Charles Matthau, as always, directed the project brilliantly: the editing, sound, and camera angles were all used to exploit a reaction from the audience along with the actors' performances. I went to the film with mixed feelings about seeing yet another "romantic comedy", a term that is almost used as a curse word nowadays, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike most comedies were the girl is sobbing on the couch after her so-called true love did something completely horrid and uncaring, Warren's character was a girl who wasn't afraid to take matters into her own hands without proceeding into the "b***h" territory. Warren really brought her character away from the bright, bubbly, damsel in distress area and made this girl her own. Some of the events were slightly obvious and contrived, like as soon as we saw Kane's character we knew he would end up with Warren's, and the meetings between these characters seemed to be unrealistic, but hey, it's a low-budget comedy, give credit were it's due. Other than that issue, I really couldn't find anything else to dislike about the film. Christian Kane's character wasn't the perfect man, he had issue that he had to deal with just like a real person. The supporting cast, such as Rachel Dratch, Flex Alexander, Kathy Griffin, and David Fine stole many of the scenes in which they were in or even just standing in the background (watch out for Charles Matthau's cameo with the fork scene). The performance were all very well done, Christian Kane proved why he had such a strong fan base and Estella Warren showed that she can stand toe to toe with any well known leading man or lady and still give as good as she gets. The main thing I really appreciated about this film was there was no "fall down" humor. All the humor was from real life situations (having to get directions to the airport), the actors' reactions (look for Kane's "is this girl nuts" look), the actual dialogue (midget porn), and just through the characters themselves (the petty fight for the basketball). No one tripped or got hit by a door, which is a nice change of pace from the current romantic "comedy". All in all, this film is good. It's not "Love Actually", but it can certainly hold it's own next to it. If there is a wide release of "Her Minor Thing" be sure to catch it in theatres, you won't be disappointed.

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• All in all, just OK.

  girlgeek2005-06-12

  I saw this movie at its debut at SIFF. I was very interested in seeing this independently produced movie. It was OK. There were some parts that had you laughing out loud. It's the type of movie that you may want to watch on TV for free on a rainy day. The cinematography and production value were good for an independent but the plot was disjointed, the characters a bit 2-dimensional and the story unconvincing. Also there was something about the pace of editing that felt rushed, like scenes slapped together rather than a story being told. I normally don't even notice that type of thing. I understand that a romantic comedy is supposed to be light and take you away, but I believe the best ones make you feel a real connection between yourself and the characters to make it all believable and enjoyable. It wasn't there for me. The acting on the part of the female lead was mediocre and not terribly convincing--does she love either of these men? Is she disappointed or actually hurt by any of the situations which were supposed to be affecting her? For me there were just too many times that the movie lost a personal connection due to acting or pacing and took me out of just enjoying the story. The character acting for Rachel Dratch and Michael Weatherly stole the show. They were both excellent. All in all...just OK. Perhaps not the movie that would appeal largely to the film festival crowd-so perhaps I am not the market for this.

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• Hilarious!

  janmoe2005-08-22

  I thought the story line was original and refreshing. Casting was excellent! The actors were perfectly matched to their parts. They were funny and believable. Much of the humor was subtle and required actors to use body language rather than verbiage to get the points across. It was fun to see the Sacramento landscape used to it's best advantage. Estella's apartment was charming and I loved the scenery at the wedding where Christian was the photographer. I felt that the humor was adult humor and I probably would not take a teenager to it, although teenagers today seem to be exposed to racier themes than this on TV sitcoms. Actually it might be a springboard for discussion between parents and youth on this important subject. It was refreshing that the main character actually valued her virginity. I laughed at the clever lines and really enjoyed the humor. Two thumbs up in my opinion!

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• Fabulous Romantic Comedy

  hey_sprinkles2006-03-26

  Two of my friends and I watched Her Minor Thing together, and this will be our combined review. We are three college age students: one virgin, one lesbian, and one thirty-something...to get a drift of our different views. We all classified this as our new favorite 'chick flick'. Although HMT does follow the "romantic comedy formula", it's way different and more stronger than what we've seen from other films. We laughed, we clapped, we cried and got angry all in the span of two hours. HMT gives many emotions, and the music to match is fantastic. Most 'romantic comedies' don't give you the anger or stronger emotions, and HMT does the emotional roller-coaster seamlessly. Warren makes the role her own by portraying a soft yet strong woman; Weatherly brings in what the three of us pegged as a 'puppet-type shallowness, yet knows true romantic lines - we'll swoon for Tom anyway'. Griffin and Dratch fit into their roles like slipping on a pair of well-worn gloves; Kane seems footloose-and-fancy free. Rachel Dratch & Michael Weatherly stole the show is our impression, and MADE their roles; the responses in scenes got the exact fabulous facial expressions to go with them, their body language even. Some of our favorite laughs were what Caroline would say, or the look on Tom's face in reaction to the scenes. The location was also great - it felt like a bigger city, but not the biggest city. Also fabulous to note was the props in the scenes for each location – from photographs, posters and what the characters wore all made the film seem more real, and completed the characters background and feelings about their life. All of us loved the movie for different reasons at the end - from how the portrayals were (lesbians, firefighters, romantics) to the roller-coaster-ride of the emotions you feel when someone betrays you, to the reactions of many different people in knowing your a virgin. All in all, wonderful performances by the cast and a talented and emotional script by the Meyers. We are looking forward to more projects by the Meyers and Charles Matthau!

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• Great, kind spirited little film

  sherikat52007-01-28

  Most people have covered the great aspects of this film, but I will add my two cents into the mix and say that I picked this film up on a whim from the video store. This funny, sweet film covers a basic idea: be true to yourself, believe in love, and it will come to you. The actors, especially the highly underrated Christian Kane, really drive this film home. He acts with his eyes, and can convey a host of emotions with a glance, a nod, or a tilt of his head. Michael Weatherly's smarmy character is a fresh change from his usual heroic ones, and wow, a Maxim cover model, Estella Warren, who is more than a pretty face. I love it when I don't expect much and I get pleasantly surprised. It, unfortunately, doesn't happen that often. With this film, and with this cast, I was pleased. What I also like is that, even though it is a newer film, the director didn't do the jostle the camera, zoom in and out crap that is so popular now. I watched fifteen minutes of "I Am Sam" and was 'car sick' from the multitude of angles, jostling, bouncing and zooming. I never have watched it all. The Special Features part notes that the film is Independent, and low budget. This is proof positive that spending millions on the special effects and the big name actors doesn't net you a winner. I haven't seen anything in a long time I enjoyed so much. One more thing: Note the Jeana character's favorite actor is Walter Matthau, the father of this film's director.

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