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Lately, chick flicks have gotten edgier and raunchier, as filmmakers try to prove that girls can be outrageous, too. But if you prefer a more classic kind of chick flick, you can opt for David E. Talbert’s Baggage Claim, a rom-com that seems determined to prove that girls can also still be sad and pathetic and desperate for love.
Baggage Claim stars Paula Patton as Montana Moore, a flight attendant who just can’t seem to find Mr. Right. When she discovers that her little sister is getting married in just 30 days, she becomes all the more desperate to find a fiancé. After all, as her mother always told her, a lady needs to be married before her thirtieth birthday—and Montana isn’t getting any younger. So, with some help from her friends at the airline, she sets out on a cross-country mission to bump into her old boyfriends and get one of them to propose before her sister’s big day.
The last I checked, it was still 2013—but whoever green-lit this film seems to be stuck in the 1950s. Any woman with the slightest hint of self respect is sure to roll her eyes at the film’s basic premise: that a woman needs to con a man into putting a ring on her finger before her life can have any kind of worth. It isn’t enough to have a good job and a comfortable life and friends who care about her; what she really needs is to go back and revisit the relationships that didn’t work before and make one of them work now—or risk becoming a creepy old cat lady who smells like soup (a transformation that we all know takes place precisely at midnight on a still-single woman’s thirtieth birthday).
As sad and pathetic as the story is, though, romantic comedies are, admittedly, sometimes a bit old-fashioned in their philosophies. So it takes more than just an archaic plot to ruin a rom-com. In this case, it also takes a bunch of clichéd characters—like the shameless politician and the two-timing cad—and a cast full of terrible actors.
In the hands of a charming—and naturally funny—actress, a film as ridiculous as this one could still be mildly entertaining. Unfortunately, Patton is awkward and unnatural—and sometimes downright irritating. And her husband hopefuls are often even worse. There are just a couple of minor characters who earn some much-needed laughs, but they’re few and far between. The rest of the film is heavy-handed and cheesy and just plain painful to watch.
Nothing about Baggage Claim is the slightest bit natural (or even current)—from the characters to the storytelling to the ridiculous set-ups. So if you’re really in the mood for an enjoyably old-fashioned rom-com, you’re better off replaying an Audrey Hepburn classic instead.
Blu-ray Review:
Baggage Claim may have been far from my favorite film of the year, but the extras found on the film’s Blu-ray release do have their moments. Special features include a trio of deleted and/or extended scenes (including an amusing alternate opening comparing men to luggage), a commentary track with the affable director, who offers some interesting little tidbits (For instance: did you know that there’s a sound stage in Hollywood full of cut up airplane sets? It’s called Air Hollywood.), and Behind the Scenes with the Director, which mostly just shows director David E. Talbert whispering into actors’ ears (In the optional commentary, he claims to be offering direction, but you can decide for yourself). You’ll also find four promotional featurettes, which introduce various parts of the film—from the characters to the story. While they’re mostly the usual promotional fluff, these features did help to remind me of a few parts of the film that were actually funny. So, while the extras didn’t change my opinion of the film itself, fans will definitely want to take the time to check them out.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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