Katie Clark J1

   There is a beautiful view of the Irish countryside out in front. The various blues of the sky and the many shades of green from the grass covered mountains mix together to create such a striking color on the horizon that there are no words to describe its magnificence. This is just one of the various scenes that overlook the landscape in this movie. No one should miss out on this classic boy-meets-girl story, with a twist.

   “Leap Year” opened Jan. 8 in theaters everywhere. It is a PG romantic comedy. “Leap Year” stars Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, and Adam Scott.

   This romantic comedy follows the journey of Anna Brady (Adams) and Declan (Goode). Anna’s journey begins when her five-year boyfriend Jeremy (Scott) fails to propose to her. She meets up with her father who reminds her of an old Irish tradition. On Leap Day, Feb. 29, a girl can propose to her boyfriend in Dublin. Coincidentally, Jeremy happens to be in that exact location on a medical conference. She decides fly there to carry on with this tradition, but there is a small problem with her flight. She ends up in a small town where she met bar owner/cab driver Declan and he offers to assist her on her journey to Dublin. They trek through the lands of Ireland to reach their destination by Leap Day. Many mishaps impede their journey and it is unknown if they will arrive on time.

   In the movie, there was a fine balance between light conversation and deep, serious conversations. The performances flowed so well that it could have been a real life situation. There was definitely comedy. The jabs and jokes shared between Adams and Goode made for a great laugh. The romance however was at a minimum until halfway through the movie. This is expected considering Adams’ and Goode’s characters had only just met. Although the scenery was stunning at times, it did not appear as real as it could have been. The effects could have been enhanced so it did not appear that they used a green screen.

   There was no disappointment in the reactions from the audience in this theater. It exceeded expectations of even this reviewer. “Leap Year” is all about forgiveness and realization. These characters are forced to look inside themselves to find out what is really important. This includes what is important not only in their everyday lives but in their relationships as well. The onscreen chemistry between Adams and Goode is so good that if it wasn’t known that it was a movie, people could mistake it for real life.