Down with Love (2003)

The reason why Peyton Reed's sleeper masterpiece, starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, wasn't well-received when it was released in 2003. The film is an unapologetic confection, candy-coated to the point of creating cavities and too rich in wink-wink allusions to the Doris Day films that inspired it. Down with Love was a difficult sell in the wake of an impending Iraq War; it couldn't have appeared more frivolous. But all of that candy was merely a cover for what's actually at stake here, which is a rewrite of cinematic romances and their continuous sex wars.

The picture, about a famous writer's proto-feminist quest to convince women to live and love on their own terms and the magazine writer attempting to tear her down, is devoid of cynicism. But its characters do: these are individuals who understand the strategic intricacies of romance and spend a whole film outdoing one other. It all leads up to one of the best moments in Zellweger's acting career (which is saying a lot): a heart-stopping monologue about the things a woman would do simply to be acknowledged by the guy she loves. At the heart of all this nonsense is a heroine who deserves a happy ending—but not at the price of the newfound freedom she instills in others.

Detailed information:
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, David Hyde Pierce, Sarah Paulson, Tony Randall
Release date: May 9, 2003
Running time: 102 minutes