Speechless

Directed by Ron Underwood, Speechless follows rival political speechwriters Kevin Vallick (Michael Keaton) and Julia Mann (Geena Davis) as they find themselves falling for one another in the buildup to an election. It’s a far-from-innovative yet certainly workable premise that’s employed to mostly lifeless effect by Underwood, as the director delivers a momentum-free romcom that’s lacking in many of the elements one expects from the genre – with the movie’s less-than-captivating vibe compounded by a curious lack of chemistry between Keaton and Davis’ respective characters. (It doesn’t help, either, that the storyline itself, revolving around the political shenanigans between the two camps, is far from enthralling and, eventually, a little tedious.) The movie’s failure is especially disappointing (and inexplicable) given the strong, predictably affable work of its two stars, while the sporadic inclusion of admittedly entertaining (and chuckle-worthy) sequences does ensure that the whole thing is, at the very least, watchable. That’s ultimately faint praise for a picture that could (and should) have been so much better, especially given Underwood’s stellar track record in the early part of his career.

** out of ****