Something Borrowed

In a summer full of robots from space, comic book heroes and stuff going boom, you can consider Something Borrowed to be the ultimate counterprogramming for those who want some sticky feelings and matters of the heart on screen instead of a throw down between The Rock and Vin Diesel.

Ginnifer Goodwin stars as Rachel - the goodhearted, girl next door who just turned 30-years old, and realizes nothing seems to be going the way it should in her life. Instead of being the bride, Rachel is the bridesmaid for her best friend, Darcy (Kate Hudson), and, as the wedding day approaches, our heroine is overcome by long held feelings she has for Darcy's fiancée, Dex (Colin Egglesfield).

The two were pals in law school, and always seemed to have something simmering underneath, but Rachel missed her chance because she wasn't willing to take the leap. Now, Darcy has scored the man of Rachel's dreams, filling the bridesmaid with regret and remorse.

Will Rachel stand by as Dex and Darcy head to the altar?

Does Dex have some similar feelings?

Refreshingly, Something Borrowed is not as predictable and formulaic as you might assume, but director Luke Greenfield and writer Jennie Snyder (based on the novel by Emily Griffin) need better storytelling and character development skills to make the movie all it can be.

Hudson is hilarious as the selfish, oblivious friend, but Greenfield and Snyder are trying and failing to make the case that she has been dominating Rachel during their entire friendship. They make Darcy into someone who always demands the spotlight, but never give us enough evidence that she has mistreated Rachel, which makes Rachel a bit more of the villain as the relationship between Dex and her is developed.

It's the most important relationship and character in the movie, but neither is defined well enough to impact the story the way it should, especially when we have enough flashback scenes and conversations between Rachel and other characters to give us what we need.

Also, Something Borrowed gets too serious. After starting off as a likable comedy featuring some fantastic dialogue for John Krasinski as the smart aleck pal Ethan, Greenfield and Snyder take us deep into the drama of Rachel struggling with her life as the movie moves forward to what we all can conclude will be the inevitable. After such a strong, funny beginning, this leaves Something Borrowed running on fumes by the end, and with Greenfield and Snyder seemingly struggling with how to get us to the end.

Goodwin is likable enough to keep you interested for 90% of the movie, Hudson and Krasinski keep you laughing when the script supports them, and Egglesfield is eye candy for the ladies (so expect him to cash in on as many of these roles as he can while the getting is good and the looks last).

Something Borrowed is rated PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue, and some drug material.