Six Days, Seven Nights

-Directed by: Ivan Reitman

Starring:
Harrison Ford
Anne Heche
David Schwimmer

Six days, seven nights...that's what a New York ad executive is promised by her boyfriend. What she gets is something she never saw coming. Starring Harrison Ford, Anne Heche and David Schwimmer, this is a movie that works because it doesn't try to be something it doesn't have the ability to be. It doesn't ask the viewer to put in a lot of intellectual time, but instead consistently entertains and reminds you of the classic romantic comedies. Ford has made a career of playing engaging, likeable characters but you don't expect him to be as clever as he is in this movie. If you're used to him playing the gruff hero, you won't be disappointed with him here. What you might not see coming is him being charming and fun and that's what keeps the movie afloat. Schwimmer's performance is as deft as anything he has done on Friends, and in many ways that's part of the problem. He's not trying really hard, so you don't get a really sparkling performance. You get a passable performance when it could be something a lot more interesting. Both men are interesting and talented actors but Schwimmer's comedy timing is wasted. Anne Heche is another weak point for me in this. I've never been a huge fan of her work, and this movie is a complete example as to why. A character that could be clever and cute instead comes off ditzy and a bit shrill.

Set in Hawaii, this movie is still fun overall. What you should know is the language can be a bit coarse on occasion, and there are some more adult situations. Thankfully though, there's no pointless nudity. Ford has made a career of doing grown up movies that don't cross the line into being pointlessly graphic save for a scene involving a snake that wound up at the wrong place. You end up with a movie with some taste, some class, and some humor. It's just a shame it's not a better overall movie. The story does keep up at a nice pace, so you're not left endlessly bored. Between Ford and director Ivan Reitman, you're kept engrossed in the storyline from beginning to end. All in all, this movie is pretty good. Not fantastic, not rotten. Maybe it's a little like the story. It's a vacation. Easy, fun, just not something you should spend a lot of time on.

Six Days, Seven Nights is out on DVD now.

-Jenn Untch
Liberty, Missouri
indigojenn at earthlink dot net
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