Film Review: All About Steve
This loopy comedy caper about a nerdy crossword creator with a penchant for red cowboy boots will divide the audience firmly in two: you’re either going to love it or hate it. Sandra Bullock dusts off her romantic comedy queen tiara and once again takes the helm of a fast-moving movie with throwaway one-liners and little resonance. If you’re a rom-com sceptic at least you can rest assured that the experience will leave you almost as soon as you leave the cinema. If however, you’re a fan of Bullock’s quirky comedic heroines then you’ll be booking a ticket for a second viewing.
Mary is a hapless nerd who also happens to be single. When she is set up on a blind date with a CNN cameraman, she becomes obsessed with the fact that he’s her soul mate and seems completely oblivious to the fact that he clearly doesn’t have the same warm, cosy feelings about her. This marks the beginning of the road trip element of this mediocre Hollywood offering that adds yet another average barrel of laughs to the already saturated pile of romantic comedies that are released with increasing regularity.
Mary proceeds to follow Steve the cameraman around the country, as he tries to press on with his pressing work commitments. Rather than being put off by his obvious evasiveness, Mary takes this as encouragement and she becomes even more obsessed and convinced that he is the only man for her. The only sign she has that it’s not a completely fruitless mission is the encouragement she gets from Hartman – a news reporter who enjoys getting his own back on Steve for the hassle he gets from him on a daily basis. It’s hardly the kind of sign that most women would take to continue following a failed blind date around the countryside but then Mary is no ordinary woman. Her increasingly erratic behaviour takes its toll on Steve but when she falls down a mineshaft the story takes a different turn, with emotions being turned on their head. Steve begins to see Mary in a different light but slight pangs of remorse are not exactly the basis for a meaningful relationship.
All About Steve is a light, fluffy film with little required in the way of concentration or mental interaction from the viewer. Some will laugh, some will cringe but most people will just let it wash over them in a wave of indifference.
