User reviews

Matthew Goode thinks Leap Year is a terrible movie. What's odd about that is Goode is one of the stars of the movie. What's even more odd is that it is not at all a terrible movie. Yes, it is very predictable and formulaic. But sometimes you have to remember that in life there are established formulas because those formulas work. And Leap Year, for what it is intended to be, works. No, it is not by any means a serious motion picture. But not every movie is meant to be The Godfather. There's plenty of room in the world for a light, breezy, enjoyable romantic comedy. And Leap Year fits the bill.

Amy Adams plays Anna, an ultra-organized Boston woman who has her life planned out down to the tiniest detail. She patiently waits for Jeremy, her boyfriend of four years, to propose to her. Finally her patience runs out. When Jeremy takes off for Dublin for a cardiology convention Anna decides to follow him, intending to take advantage of an Irish tradition of women proposing to their men on Leap Day. Unfortunately a storm causes her flight to be diverted and when she finally gets to Ireland she's not in Dublin but way over on the other side of the country. Stuck in this rural no-man's land she needs transportation to Dublin. Enter Goode's character of Declan, the town's innkeeper, bartender and, most importantly, taxi driver. So Anna, the prim, proper girl with her whole life planned out and Declan, the earthy, sarcastic guy who flies by the seat of his pants set out on their road trip. Gee, you don't suppose this mismatched couple might end up falling for one another do you? It's a movie with very little drama. You know the formula, so you think you know where the story's headed. But just because you think you know the ultimate destination that doesn't mean you can't have some fun along the way. Leap Year is not a movie which is uproariously funny by an means but there are enough solid laughs scattered throughout to keep you smiling. The interplay between Adams and Goode is excellent. Adams is relentlessly charming and Goode makes for a very good rogue. The movie looks spectacular, the rolling Irish countryside a sight to behold and a wonderful setting for the story. Many people seem to bemoan what this movie isn't. They miss what it is. A charming, fun, entertaining romantic comedy. That's all the movie aspires to be and in this aim it succeeds. Adams is the perfect actress for this sort of thing, she lights up the screen. And Goode? He does well here too and for him I dearly hope the acting thing works out. Because he has no future as a film critic.

I'm a gruff kind of guy who finds romantic comedies formulaic and cheesy. I never sort of watched Pretty Woman, for goodness sake. And I'm sure the Irish hate it for all the oirishness. But as a romantic comedy, and that is what this is - not an unforgettable, epic movie, but a romantic comedy - it's pretty fine! Left me with a nice feel afterwards, I wasn't even a wee bit annoyed over inconsistencies and stereotypical characters!

Anna (Amy Adams) - busy, dedicated, talented, goal oriented with one track mind on life matters. Has "what she wants and not what she needs".

Jeremy (Adam Scott) - accomplished cardiologist with no need to be concerned. Has what he wants and not sure what he needs. Loves himself and thinks everyone else does, too.

Declan (Matthew Goode) - very much a Hugh Jackman "coulda-been", content with what he has and thinks he needs nothing, Luck 'o the Irish did nothing for him but he doesn't believe in luck anyway.

As Anna herself put it, she has "what she wants but not what she needs". Since becoming an accomplished "Stager", decorating homes to display in hopes of selling, she happily puts herself on display, knowing exactly what it takes. We see her first known personal disappointment when she expects her boyfriend, Jeremy, to propose. He is so comfortable with her company, earrings are the obvious gift to surprise his girlfriend of 4 years, and not an engagement ring. She is further disappointed when he immediately has to leave the country temporarily. Being the woman she is, she spends no time with self pity but decides it's time to go to Dublin and propose to him as Leap Year permits.

Leap Year is an excellent romantic comedy. I was reminded of Doris Day and Audrey Hepburn comedies. Nothing hilarious, Amy really has wonderful physical comedic skills but still allows her charm to come across and make me smile. While the movie gets a little clumsy, nothing is bad enough to keep me from appreciating her. Her chemistry with Matthew Goode played well. He was fun to watch as the Irish he-man who lives a casual life with no expectations and no concern for others'. But then along comes Anna, and their one-track lives intertwine and soon the future becomes less clear. Anna and Declan travel to Dublin finding strangers and situations that force them to examine life and its meaning, or lack thereof. A forked road appears and we find both now have reason to question a future with or without each other.

Please don't expect hilarity. Sit down, get comfy, and admire a good, simple love story. It's what we all need.

7 of 10

This film is about an American woman who decides to fly to Ireland to surprise her boyfriend, and to propose to him because an Irish tradition allows it.

"Leap Year" is a predictable romantic comedy that captures female psychology well. I can see women loving this film so much because it is so romantic and full of love. Amy Adams acts well in her role, she portrays her desire to be married so well that even by looking at her face, you know she wants to get a proposal so much.

"Leap Year" showcases amazing Irish scenery, with all the right colours, composition and saturation. I am also impressed by the technical side of it, as the filmmakers paid a lot of details into location scouting, set decoration and composing a scene. It makes "Leap Year" visually so pleasing to watch.

This opinion isn't going to win me any friends but its not as bad as everyone says it is, bear with me.

The thing is with Leap Year is that we all know how this movie is end 20 mins in, the trick is does it make us care to want to watch? I thought it did. Goode and Adams are good together and, yes, there is a little bit too much Irish Tourism advertising going on, but still enough going on to keep us entertained. Feather light yes, but so what, that's not always a bad thing. All movies cannot be Schindlers List.

(2010) Leap Year DRAMA/ ROMANTIC COMEDY

Sometimes over-the-top with plenty of awkward moments more than the film can handle is still quite a passable watch which demands some reconstructing or editing! This is yet another romantic comedy centering on an Irish folklore tradition when on Feb 29 every four years has females proposing marriage to their spouses! In this case it's actress Amy Adams and her misadventures into attempting to do just that, and at the same time build a rapport with someone else which is actor Matthew Goode who is being paid to guide her. It's basically another one of those films where viewers are aware about it's ending without knowing what it can offer in the middle which can sometimes showcase some really good moments, as well as avoidable awkward ones! It also can be looked at as an Irish rendition of a much more superior film called "The Sure Thing" starring John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga made in 1985. Amy Adams is still a wonderful to watch which kept this film from going under.

Anna of Boston and Declan: "LLeap Year" is the story of the encounter and the tribulations of a very organized woman and a quiet Irish man.They will cross part of Ireland because Anna needs to be in Dublin to meet her fiance Jeremy and to propose him marriage.They are fighting with cows in middle of a road, some thieves steal Anna's luggage, they have to behave as as married couple in a boarding house, they are invited to an Irish wedding and drink very much, they missed a train,etc. The performances of Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are very good. PS. All the fans of the French cuisine will remember the famous coq au vin !!

Get over the negative reviews. This is a lovely film, sweet, with charming characters and a lovely setting. If you believe in the power of romance it may even make tears well up in your eyes. Not meant to change the world just meant to be a fun film. Louis, as in Louis Vuitton the suitcase, is one of the best characters right to the end of the film!

well i didn't have good hopes with this movie but after the first half hour the movie suddenly changed in a more progressive manner. AMY ADAMAS was good and i found the movie quite romantic.This movie could be an ideal pick for guys who would like to take their girlfriends for a good movie cause in my view they would be very happy after u do so.

now about the bad part the starting of the movie was quite boring you witness a girl who likes everything planned and hates surprises. well the first half hour of the story wile really make you wanna skip it.After that the plot changes as she decides to go to Ireland.

And the locations of the shoot of this movie is just fantastic.

If you've seen the preview, which shows you snippets up to the last ten minutes of the movie, you can probably guess how this film ends. Amy Adamas plays the lovable perfectionist Anna, a stager for retail properties. Her seemingly perfect life is accompanied by a perfect boyfriend who only needs to propose to make things, well....perfect. Anna is convinced he will pop the question as he takes her out for a special date at a nice restaurant and presents her with a tiny square box from an exclusive jewelry store. Inside....is a pair of diamond solitaire earrings. Mr. Perfect jets off to a conference in Dublin, Ireland leaving Anna confused. As she mulls over why she is not engaged she remembers the conversation she conveniently had with her father hours earlier. One of her Irish ancestors proposed to a man on Leap Day, which is apparently on old Irish tradition, so Anna decides to hop the pond and propose to her boyfriend. With only days to make this happen a predictable series of obstacles including a local, rugged Irishman get in her way and force Anna to really consider why she's doing what she's doing. While the movie plays out along familiar paths it still holds a few clever lines and some engaging scenes. We are treated to a romantic Ireland of small village pubs and inns and ancient ruined castles. The cast of supporting characters are charmingly two dimensional. Amy Adams turns in a chick-flick worthy performance with little depth and Michael Goode is the likable rough around the edges love interest. We've seen this before, we've loved it before. It's worth seeing again. Leap Year probably won't win any Oscars, but it's a feel-good love story that's pretty to look at. Enjoy it for what it is.

I saw Leap Year at a screening before the holidays, and found it much more "enchanting" than the typical romantic comedy. The story line is simple - basically, it is "It Happened One Night" in Ireland: apartment "stager" Amy Adams, tired of waiting for her uptight, longtime boyfriend to propose, decides to meet him on business in Dublin on Leap Day when tradition states that a man must accept a woman's proposal. Weather forces her to be diverted, first to Wales and then to the west coast of Ireland, she has to be driven to Dublin by and disgruntled bitter local.

But while the story is straight-ahead, the movie is extremely charming due to the terrific chemistry in between Amy Adams and Matthew Good. Whereas other romantic comedies pander to the lowest common denominator with base humor, this one feels much more like "4 Weddings and a Funeral" or "Local Hero." The characters seem simple at first, but we see the depth beyond them as the movie goes on. The comedy is always sharp, and special kudos to the actors who play the superstitious friends of Matthew Good, but this movie never forces in the pratfalls and dumb jokes that we see in your typical romantic comedy movie. And when there a bigger laughs (a scene at a wedding is particularly funny), the movie delivers.

There are a couple of slow spots, especially at the very beginning, but the last 20 minutes are funny, touching and real. I think it is a very good movie for our times right now, with a message that rebukes control and superficiality and all the trappings of what most of feel makes for a successful life. And our audience was with it throughout, and applauded at the end.

Amy Adams plays the character Anna who decides to travel to Ireland to partake in the tradition of proposing to her boyfriend in the Leap Year, of course things do not go to plan and she finds herself stranded far from her boyfriends location, having to find a way to him and life and fate steer her in an opposite direction.

This film is just a feel good, fun romance for the light hearted.

Not to be taken seriously, definitely cheesy and full of the usual love sick puns.

It's a great one for the girls to gather and watch and have a laugh, but the blokes might roll their eyes.

Amy Adams exudes her endearing qualities by the bucket load as usual.

Was looking for some kind of romcom one night on Netflix. And I really love Amy Adams and Matthew Goode was a bonus. The scenery was beautiful the story was cute and if you haven't been over to Ireland and really make she want to go. The only problem I had was the movie was a cutesy pop songs that were used throughout. They should've use more local Irish tunes and possibly more independent songs. That would've made the movie from a 7 to a nine

I absolutely adored this movie. So much so that I watched it 6 times within one week. Not because it's anything amazing or Oscar-worthy. Don't expect anything completely awe- inspiring, complex, or brilliant. It's just a simple love story. And what I really appreciate about this movie is how innocent and lighthearted it is. Kind of a breath of fresh, romantic air. Adams and Goode have amazing chemistry and perform their personalities to a T. It was really fun to watch the steady but stubborn transformation of their relationship throughout the movie. If you're a little bored by the acting in the very beginning, don't give up on it... It gets better! And it's even better the second time around.

I knew nothing about this movie except that it starred Amy Adams so I thought I would give it a go as it could not be worse than some of the things I have recently seen (Eat pray love anyone).

The movie is about Amy Adams and her deciding to fly to Ireland and propose to her long term boyfriend on Feb 29 aka leap year. She is met be a few disasters and becomes involved with Matthew Goode when he agrees to drive her to Dublin. What follows is a very sweet romantic comedy. No major surprises but very entertaining none the less. If you are in the mood for some comedy,romance & a bit of a 'chick flick' then give this one a go.

I've seen this movie multiple times over the years and just watched it again. Amy Adams carries the movie, she's a fantastic actress and Matthew Goode was still good looking in this movie. I have to admit watching her doing that much walking on Ireland's country roads made my feet hurt! The scenery is stunning!

This movie has resulted in me missing two hours of my life. The director portrays Ireland( The Republic of Ireland) as a stagnant backwater from a bygone era, and its people unrivaled in unsophistication! The Cliffs of Moher are in the Burren, not Connemara, nor Kerry! You would be more likely to meet a herd of S500's on the Dublin road from Dingle than a herd of cattle(I mean the main road, that was no where near a main road.

Despite the recent recession, in the 3 areas of GDP Ireland is ranked 8th on the International Monetary Fund(IMF), 5TH on World Bank and 10th according to the CIA Fact Book. One would not conclude this from this "so called'representation of Ireland today.

Apart from the total unrealistic stage, the story was cliché and predictable. I suggest the producers finish their "homework" next time and actually do some research on a country in which they wish to set their film.