Mr. Write (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

OK

[Jackbv123 · 6/10 · 14 September 2020]

A romance writer with writer's block is a well worn trope. A professionally minded editor working with someone a bit lazy or playboy has been done also. And I have a hard time getting to like said playboy as a lead.

Even so, I was looking forward to seeing where this would go.

Unfortunately, sticking the second couple's story in takes screen time away from the main relationship. Throw in the time spent on the fiancé and setting up that whole story line and it bleeds even more time away. It feels like this was done because the main couple's story wasn't very deep, and it wasn't. If the heroine is going to make a bold decision then I want to see why. Telling why was too squeezed in.

If you categorize the ending into a trope which is also well known, without spoiling exactly what it was, I am definitely not a fan of that particular trope. The attempt to justify it was also weak.

Taking out the second couple to focus more on the main storyline would help this movie a lot. Show me more of Michael and Dori doing more than writing and editing.

Enjoyed!

[ginasharp · 7/10 · 23 August 2020]

Although I didn't think the writing allowed you to believe that the two leads really fell for each other throughout the movie, they pulled it off in the end. I enjoyed this story, it was interesting seeing the work of an author struggling to put words to page and the editor's job. I wish they would have had the author open up a bit more to the editor so that you could watch them fall for each other but for some reason the writing of this storyline leaves everything internal until the end? I still enjoyed it though because it was well acted and I loved the side love story with her coworker struggling with commitment. Her and the guy she is dating were adorable and they had me invested in their relationship! I would recommend watching on a rainy summer day when you are PMSing and you just wanna stay bundled with a blankie and cuddle on the couch and watch a love story! :)

A novel romance

[TheLittleSongbird · 3/10 · 19 October 2023]

'Mr Write' (2016)

Opening thoughts: Have liked Charlotte Sullivan and Corey Sevier in other things, though neither are favourites of mine. The romance centered around books setting has been done to death and well before 'Mr Write' existed, but it has been done very well many times so it is a setting that has been known to work. Have always liked romance and there are plenty of films that do comedy well, and also plenty that mix both romance and comedy very well (though romcom is not an easy type of film to pull off).

'Mr Write' doesn't really pull it off regrettably. It is worth a one time watch as a curio, but there are a lot of drawbacks and all of them too significant to ignore. There are definitely far worse films in existence, of this type and in general, but 'Mr Write' doesn't really do anything with its setting or with a premise that did sound quite cute on paper. Predictability wouldn't have been too big an issue for me, as long as the film still manages to be interesting. Which is why the film fails.

Good things: Sullivan is engaging and has a very charming presence. There are moments of spark in the secondary subplot, which is a little better than the main one.

It looks quite nice, especially the scenery.

Bad things: Sevier however is rather wooden and was in real need of a lighten up. He has no chemistry with Sullivan, which makes the romance completely passionless and without charm. Also felt that their story was somewhat underused, with the secondary subplot being favoured too much. So much so it would be easy to mistake it for the main one. And also very underwritten, with no real development or progression, whenever there is any signs of them it occurs quite late and treated too insignificantly. The supporting cast are at best forgettable and didn't really care for any of the characters, particularly Sevier's who was very dull and dour.

Did feel that 'Mr Write' failed in the romance and comedy. The former because of the lack of chemistry and that no love or charm is really felt. And the latter because there is too little of it in the first place and what little there is lacks wit and never reaches mildly amusing. The story is predictable throughout, especially in the over neat final act, and too often too thin, with too often a going through the motions feel. Which really affects the pacing, which is sluggish. The direction is routine and the music never really fits or stands out.

Closing thoughts: Concluding, rather weak.

3/10.

A Great Film--Charlotte Sullivan Shines

[mfreburg-946-137541 · 8/10 · 12 March 2024]

Sometimes a romance movie is better than the sum of its parts simply because you really like the actors, which was true for me in this case. I'm reviewing this one because I just watched Charlotte Sullivan in "Two for the Win" (see review if interested) and wanted to contrast that film with this one. Watching them back-to-back was enlightening. Sullivan was an absolutely different person (although a delight in both). While some readers are no doubt saying "well d'uh" about now, think about it--how many regular romance movie actors tend to be very similar characters from film to film? We might still enjoy them, but they are, nevertheless, very much the same sort of person from movie to movie to movie. A good example is the co-star in this film, Corey Sevier. In this case I like Sevier, so this isn't a bad thing, but it makes Sullivan's performance here and in the other film I mentioned all that much more impressive because she was SO different in each of the films I mentioned. It could of course also be partly because she doesn't do romance full-time and has learned to truly stretch, but for whatever reason, I sure enjoy her work in romance movies.

I need to point out that I disagree with other reviewers who said there is no chemistry between Sullivan and Sevier. Perhaps they can only recognize "chemistry" when it's over-the-top, as in Cinderella and the Prince-type stories, but not when it's a little more subtle, which it is in this film? I thought their feelings were building and building all along--as well as Sevier becoming a nicer guy, witnessed in many subtle ways--such as meeting an ex-girlfriend in a bookstore and apologizing for having treated her badly. And it helped Sullivan's character recognize Sevier's "growing" as a person after her fiancé (Texan-born actor Preston Vanderslice doing a British accent) displayed signs of pre-wedding cheating with HIS personally chosen wedding planner (played by underappreciated actress, Leanne Lapp).

I do agree with other reviewers that the subplot, or secondary romance, took up too much time in the movie. And furthermore, I didn't particularly care for it. The boyfriend (Colin Lawrence) was rotten, and the girlfriend (Christie Laing), a friend of Sullivan in the film, deserved better. Some might argue that if Lawrence was rotten to Laing, why don't I consider Sevier in the same light, since he at least started off being rude to Sullivan? It's because Lawrence and Laing were in a romantic relationship from the get-go, while Sevier and Sullivan were in a purely business relationship at the start. I think it behooves better behavior between boyfriend-girlfriend than between co-workers. Yes, of course, everyone should be nice to one another, but the co-worker conflict was important to the plot and helped develop the main story--yet was still believable. The crummy boyfriend behavior in a romantic relationaship was simply too much, even with a healthy suspension of disbelief. I felt sorry for Laing's character. And what modern woman is going to put up with that nonsense? Is the guy so wonderful that he can dictate the status of the relationship no matter what the woman thinks? Some might suggest that all's well that ends well, but I didn't buy it. And I am usually quick to suspend disbelief and accept the scriptwriters going crazy--which they did, as Laing ended up wanting mean boyfriend all the more.

I'll leave the ending for you to enjoy (I'll hide this review anyway because I've given away too many spoilers), but I really think you will enjoy this movie overall.

Tedious - lack of chemistry between leads

[phd_travel · 4/10 · 15 September 2018]

Boring is the word that comes to mind. The two leads are fine in other movies but the lack chemistry in this movie. There isn't much of a romantic connection between the editor and stuck writer in this tedious rom com which is lacking both rom and com.