Ashley Judd struts her talent at last

'Someone Like You' pretty good, predictable

In this story: Love and a lease Seen this before? Judd, Jackman excel RELATED SITES

By Paul Tatara
CNN Reviewer

(CNN) -- Here's some unexpected good news: Ashley Judd is finally on the right track.

Her new movie, the romantic comedy "Someone Like You," suffers from the usual pitfalls of an over-investigated genre. But it's an enjoyable pastry of a film that, for the first time in years, shows off Judd's considerable talents to full effect.

Though "Double Jeopardy"'s (1999) broad-stroke silliness cemented her status as a movie star, she proves herself to be a formidable comic actress this time around. Think Mary Tyler Moore, but with less overt whining and even better legs.

Judd plays Jane Goodale, a disillusioned Manhattan talk show producer who likes to compare modern romance to the mating habits of cows. ("Someone Like You" was originally called "Animal Husbandry," based on a novel of that title by Laura Zigman. That name changed when someone came up with the obligatory benign three-word title.) Jane is having trouble finding a boyfriend, but one day her apparent Prince Charming, Ray Brown (Greg Kinnear), comes strolling into the office. Ray is the new executive producer of the talk show, which is hosted by the power-hungry Diane Roberts (Ellen Barkin).

Love and a lease

Soon, Ray leaves his longtime girlfriend for Jane and her noticeably tight designer outfits. The two lovebirds decide to move in together, and they even land a nice apartment with a great view of the city. Then, just when they're ready to sign the lease, Ray backs out of the relationship. Jane's current apartment has already been rented to a new tenant, so she's forced to room with Eddie (Hugh Jackman), a handsome, openly womanizing co-worker.

This gives her an opportunity to more closely scrutinize the male of the species. Her various conclusions are relayed to the audience via sometimes amusing voiceovers ... with the emphasis placed squarely on "sometimes."

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The fully expected mouthy best friend who commiserates with Jane over her shattered life is a men's magazine editor named Liz (Marisa Tomei). Screenwriter Elizabeth Chandler spins the story in agreeable little circles for quite a while, then Liz suggests that Jane pen an article (under a pseudonym) based on her "men are cows" theory of courtship.

Relatively warm laughter ensues, with Judd pulling off moments of inventive verbal and physical comedy along the way. Jane, you'll be surprised to learn, does not jump from the Brooklyn Bridge in the final reel.

Seen this before?

An overriding sense of deja vu prevents this from being an outright triumph of the fluff. You can't really blame Chandler for keeping it obvious. By now, it's almost impossible to re-imagine a romantic comedy to any serviceable degree, especially since you're expected to trot out the cliches if you want to land a substantial audience.

The story is driven by the usual grab-bag of hard-to-accept plot devices and character assumptions. First of all, Judd is such an obvious catch, it's patently absurd to pretend that Jane would be without a partner for more than about ... oh, 45 seconds. There's also the immediately accepted movie wisdom that every failed relationship is the direct result of a selfish man. Why can't filmmakers admit that all kinds of people do all kinds of self-serving things in this world, and that includes women? The hackneyed cherry on top is a soundtrack full of pop songs that tell you exactly what Jane is thinking, just in case you can't figure it out for yourself.

(New Yorkers, by the way, will note that the loft Jane and Eddie share would run about $4,100 a month on the current market. Struggling talk shows must pay really well!)

However, even with the drawbacks, "Someone Like You" is better than 90 percent its date-movie brethren. Chandler has written some funny one-liners, and director Tony Goldwyn puts his talented cast through the paces with commendable restraint. At the very least, there's not a wacky gay neighbor knocking on the door every 10 minutes, and Judd never gets dragged through the West Village by a large dog.

Judd, Jackman excel

Kinnear isn't around all that much, but he plays the oily shmuck with flair. Tomei, who should keep a tight grip on her Academy Award, is competent, if unremarkable, in the second-banana role.

And Jackman makes a terrific womanizer. It's hard to tell what an actor is like when he's playing Rat Boy (or whoever) in "X-Men" (2000), but he proves himself a considerable charmer this time around. He and Judd play off of each other nicely; you can feel the characters slowly warming up to each other as things progress.

But this is Ashley's movie, and don't you forget it. As always, she's likeable and terribly sexy ... in a manner that makes her seem approachable despite her straight-A, homecoming-queen appearance. It took her a while, but she's finally starting to bloom on screen.

If she can maintain her focus -- and stay away from tacky action piffle -- Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts soon will be hearing footsteps.

"Someone Like You" is pretty tame. There's a smattering of profanity and no sex. Judd does, however, perform a cheerleading routine while wearing very small undies. You might want to bring an oxygen tank -- some confetti, too. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes.

'Someone Like You' official site

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