Kate and Leopold film review

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KATE AND LEOPOLD

Meg Ryan's crown as the queen of fluffy romantic comedies is definitely slipping.

Her latest candy-floss confection, Kate & Leopold, is an extremely weak cocktail of science fiction hocus pocus and fish out of water comedy. Were it not for dashing leading man Hugh Jackman, the film would be a very dull affair indeed.

Hapless scientist Stuart Besser (Liev Schreiber) discovers a fissure in the fabric of time, which unravels every few days at key locations around the world. By jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge into the portal at the right moment, Stuart can travel back in time, observing life in the Big Apple during the late 1800s.

Despite his best attempts to blend in, Stuart attracts the attention of charming gent and bachelor Leopold (Hugh Jackman), the third Duke of Albany.

A chase ensues, and both men fall into the portal, and are transported back to present day New York. Aware that the portal will re-open in 10 days time, Stuart asks Leopold to remain in the apartment.

Unfortunately, the scientist is hospitalised after a serious fall, and the 19th century nobleman is taken under the wing of Stuart's ex-girlfriend, cynical marketing manager Kate (Meg Ryan). She doesn't believe his story about being a time traveller - in fact, Kate is convinced that Leopold is merely acting the part, an illusion re-affirmed by her younger actor brother Charlie (Breckin Meyer), who is mesmerised by Leopold's ability to stay in character 24 hours a day.

Kate soon warms to Leopold's chivalrous conduct, but the vast differences in their romantic outlooks prove difficult to bridge. She holds firm to the belief that "You can't live a fairy-tale"; he asserts that "Marriage is the promise of eternal love". The couple gravitate towards one another, unaware that Leopold must soon return to his own time to prevent a fatal temporal imbalance.

The story underpinning Kate & Leopold is convoluted and preposterous, which wouldn't be so much of a problem if there were more chemistry between the two leads. Ryan lacks her usual sparkle and her character is remarkably unsympathetic - she is certainly unworthy of a prize catch like Leopold.