Leap Year

Leap Year follows uptight career woman Anna Brady (Amy Adams) as she conspires to propose to her longtime boyfriend (Adam Scott’s Jeremy) on February 29th, with her efforts at catching up with him in Ireland hampered by the laid-back local (Matthew Goode’s Declan) who has reluctantly agreed to escort her there. It’s an almost comically hackneyed setup – she’s tightly-wound and prissy, he’s easy-going and sarcastic – that’s initially employed to distressingly underwhelming effect, as screenwriters Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont place a consistent emphasis on elements of a decidedly sitcom-like nature. The pervasively broad atmosphere effectively prevents the viewer from working up any real interest in the central character’s ongoing exploits, with Adams’ expectedly charming work often suffocated by filmmaker Anand Tucker’s aggressively cute sensibilities. It’s ultimately the presence of a few heartwarming interludes (eg Anna and Declan share a spontaneous kiss in front of several onlookers) that cements the movie’s place as a familiar yet watchable piece of work, with the genuinely romantic finale ensuring that Leap Year concludes on an emotionally-affecting note that almost compensates for its myriad of less-than-stirring attributes.

**1/2 out of ****