A romantic comedy which takes it cue from the notion that on February 29th every four years, women can ask men to marry them. Apparently this is an Irish tradition, dating back to a St Bridget in the fifth century, and the makers of Leap Year are more than happy to pull out every Irish cliché in the book.
Don't expect any form of geographic realism, or indeed much realism at all. This is a portrayal of a country where the locals still say 'Top of the morning' and 'Riddle me this', and where an English actor (Matthew Goode) takes on the role of a local Irish boy despite having one of the worst accents in recent times.
But, being a romantic comedy, why should we expect realism: after all, it only gets in the way of a good plot. There's not so much of a good plot here (uptight Amy Adams travels to Ireland to surprise her boyfriend by proposing to him only to have her values challenged by the aforementioned Goode), but there is plenty of vim which does at least make you stick around to see how it will pan out.
Without Adams, it would be a cliché-ridden mess. With her, it's passable, but barely. Director Anand Tucker, who once showed promise with Hilary and Jackie, now apears to be content with workaday Hollywood fare. Lovers of the old country may turn misty-eyed at the charming scenery on offer, but husbands and boyfriends who may see it at their parter's behest will definitely deserve payback.
Paul Hurley
