Down to You (2000)

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PG-13 | 1 hr 37 mins | Comedy, Romance, Romantic comedy | Released: 1/21/2000 |Box Office Total: $20.0M

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Who doesn't remember their first love: the initial flush of excitement; the negotiations of power in the relationship; and in some cases, the painful parting. That's the premise of "Down to You", an innocuous romantic comedy that has more emphasis on the former and less on the latter. What it does have that elevates it beyond other teen flicks are two charismatic stars -- Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Stiles -- who radiate warmth and a palpable chemistry.

Unfortunately, the story devised by Kris Isaacson (who also directed) doesn't really ring true. We learn very little about the background of Imogen (played by Stiles) except that she has an affinity for art but was pressured by her parents into majoring in something a little more practical. Prinze's Al Connelly is more fleshed out -- his parents are a TV chef (Henry Winkler) and a popular deejay (Lucie Arnaz, who has so little screen time she barely registers) and he plans to follow in his father's footsteps. Winkler provides some of the few laughs in this purported comedy. Perhaps the biggest laugh is his idea for a reality-based, father-son cooking show that could probably find a home on the Fox network tomorrow.

Al and Imogen are supposed to be enrolled in a college located in Manhattan. The supporting cast is peppered by what Isaacson undoubtedly thinks are eccentric and lovable characters. However, they come across as cartoon figures.

Monk (Zak Orth) is an aspiring filmmaker who moonlights in porno movies and seems to be modeled on a youthful Orson Welles without Welles' charm. Eddie Hicks (Shawn Hatosy) is Al's roommate, a wimp who bulks up hoping to land a girlfriend as impressive as Imogen. Cyrus (Selma Blair, vamping too hard) is perhaps the most unrealistic character -- an MIT dropout who introduced Monk to porn, but who now just hangs around to provide temptation to Al when he and Imogen hit a rough patch. And then there's Jim Morrison (Ashton Kutcher, who shouldn't plan on quitting his TV series "That '70s Show" any time soon) who patterns himself on the real-life "Lizard King" and flirts with Imogen.

When Isaacson focuses on Stiles and Prinze, the film works. Their relationship plays out over the course of two years, with all the requisite stages in between. The blonde Stiles lights up the screen by projecting a rare intelligence that most of her contemporaries seem to lack. Surely Prinze could coast along nicely on the basis of his limpid brown eyes and killer smile, but as he did in last year's teen romance "She's All That", he offers hints that there's more beneath the surface. With the right material, he could emerge as a Tom Hanks for the 21st Century. (Don't forget that two-time Oscar winner Hanks has such bombs as "Bachelor Party" and "Turner and Hooch" on his resume.)

One of the tired conventions that Isaacson employs is having the principal lovers alternately address the audience directly. This attempt at breaking the fourth wall may have been revolutionary at one time, but now it borders on cliche.

The technical credits on the film are solid, particularly Robert Yeoman's crisp cinematography, and the soundtrack is an intriguing mix of oldies and relatively new material. If only the uneven script and direction could have been better: Both Julia Stiles and Freddie Prinze Jr. deserve better.

*MPAA rating: PG-13, for mature thematic material, sexual content, language, drug and alcohol use. "Down to You"

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Julia Stiles

Shawn Hatosy

Selma Blair

Zak Orth

A Miramax presentation. Director Kris Isacsson. Screenplay Kris Isacsson. Producers Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente. Director of Photography Robert Yeoman. Editor Stephen A. Rotter. Music Edmund Choi. Production Designer Kevin Thompson. Costume Designer Michael Clancy. Running time: 1 hour, 37 minutes.

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