Review of Kate & Leopold

Introduction

"Kate and Leopold" is an exquisitely charming romantic comedy, a "Back To The Future" for the Mills and Boon set.

Kate is a senior executive in a marketing research company on the brink of merging with its largest client. Stuart is her ex-boyfriend, obsessed with theories of temporal mechanics. Kate is played by the eminently watchable Meg Ryan. In a step away from her more usual sympathetic roles, she plays Kate as a cute but brittle and completely self-absorbed career woman who seems incapable of listening to anyone - which is strange considering her career in marketing research.

In the process of his temporal experiments, Stuart (Liev Schreiber) goes back to 1870s New York and inadvertantly returns with Leopold, the Duke of Albany. Leopold is played by Hugh Jackman, demonstrating that he has genuine star potential and that there`s far more to him than X-Men`s Wolverine. Leopold is a mannered 19th Century gentleman, although he regards his title as something of a hindrance. He believes that men of vision are the architects of the future, not the fading nobility of England. Unfortunately like many noble families, his is on its uppers and he has to make a financially rewarding marriage with one of the rich families his Uncle has brought him to New York to meet.

Fate means that he meets his soulmate in present-day New York in the person of Kate. Unfortunately for much of the movie she is downright rude towards Leopold, thinking he is some dopey actor too deep into a theatrical role for comfort. With Stuart in hospital (having fallen down a lift shaft because Leopold isn`t back in the 1870s to invent the Otis safety brake for lifts), a romance slowly blossoms between Kate and Leopold - especially when she realises he is the perfect spokesman for an "I can`t believe this lard tastes like butter" product.

Unfortunately Leopold has to return to the 1870s with some urgency.

"Kate and Leopold" is available on the disc in a theatrical cut and the far superior director`s cut. The story works fine in the theatrical cut, but in the director`s cut a number of large holes in the story are plugged and the whole enterprise makes much more sense. As written, Leopold is Stuart`s great-great-grandfather and his return to the 1870s is a matter of some urgency as the next opportunity to send him back will be in twenty years` time. If he does not return, he will not be there to either invent the elevator or father Stuart`s great-grandfather. This makes Stuart`s tinkering with time more risky than in the theatrical cut.

Shortly before the film`s premiere, someone pointed out that if Kate was Stuart`s great-great-grandmother, that made his relationship with her somewhat incestuous. Horrified, Miramax yanked the film from distribution and had the film recut without the director`s approval excising all mention of Stuart`s relationship to Leopold. This made Stuart in the theatrical cut into A Very Nice Bloke but gave no reason for his altruism. In the director`s cut yak-track, you can positively hear director James Mangold`s mind boggling.

Video

Presented in its original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, K&L looks wonderful. Stuart Dryburgh`s photography presents a subdued palette, and the film winds along pleasingly to the eye. There are no troublesome artefacts or print problems.

Audio

An impressive Dolby 5.1 mix with some startling effects, particularly to do with time travel. Rolfe Kent`s score is a peach, but Sting`s end-title song is an absolute delight, and reminiscent of something French at the back of my mind. Just can`t put a finger on it.

Features

The movie comes in two flavours on the disc, the theatrical cut and the director`s cut (the better of the two). There is a full director`s commentary that is genuinely enlightening, and a set of deleted scenes that didn`t make either cut. There is the usual time-of-release puff piece from "On The Set" and a small costume featurette. Stills and the video to Sting`s delicious closing song complete the package. There are English, English HOH and Italian subtitles.

Conclusion

I loved this picture. It`s one of those genuine feelgood romantic comedies. At times you want to slap Meg Ryan, but all the guys in this picture - Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber and Breckin Meyer - turn in absolutely stand-up performances that you`re cheering them on all the way. Box of choccies and phone off the hook time, and I suspect the ladies might like it as well.