Fooling Around

A romantic comedy which could do with a little more...romance.

Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) lands up in Vegas initially to design a nightclub. His plans get sidetracked when he gets Isabella Fuentes (Salma Hayek), a budding photographer, pregnant, meets her family and then marries her.

Sparks fly when slick Big Apple meets rural Mexico - cultural differences; petty squabbles; an overbearing extended family; a shotgun-bearing father; an ex-boyfriend; an ex-girlfriend; and a career in danger of becoming nonexistent; are just some of the problems that the couple faces.

Matthew Perry, with his talent for enacting comedy roles, does not diverge much from the style we're familiar with in "Friends" - exaggerated expressions and smart one-liners are the order of the day. Salma Hayek's accent is a character all by itself; she's emotiver, and Isabella's stubbornness and her passion are adequately expressed by her.

Perry and Hayek together, however, fail to generate the much-needed chemistry in this romance. Very often, it seems like they are just going through the moves, leaving the viewers with the impression that they are pretending, even while they play their parts.

The plot of the movie is simple enough and has been given a humorous touch wherever possible. Compact in length and efficiently produced, Tennant has paced the story well, exploring human relationships even while laughing at their complications. Laced with humour - verbal, slapstick and situational - this flick is entertaining, even though the climax is slightly melodramatic.

This article was first published on06 Dec 2000.