Movie Review : The Rewrite

In the romantic comedy The Rewrite, Hugh Grant plays a screenwriter who won an Oscar fifteen years ago, but now is unemployed and broke. His agent arranges for him to take a job teaching screenwriting in a university in upstate New York. It's the last thing he wants to do, but he has no choice. There, he gets off to a bad start, sleeping with one of his students and insulting a tenured formidable member of his department, played by the amazing Allison Janney, by telling her he hates Jane Austen, her area of expertise (a fact made all the more funny due to Grant's prior role in the Austen classic "Sense and Sensibility"). He then meets a single mom played by Marisa Tomei who both challenges him and brings out the best in him. While it definitely has some morally questionable moments, this is a laugh-out-loud funny movie, filled with great supporting characters, and is ultimately a story of redemption. Those who have ever dreamed of becoming a screenwriter will find it especially enjoyable. It is unrated, but would probably be PG-13 for one swear and sexual suggestions.

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