All About Steve
He Doesn't Deserve You
When I was thirteen years old I had a major crush on a boy named Chris who sat in front of me in History and smiled every time he handed a paper back to me. I remember thinking, ‘If he would only talk to me for ten minutes he’d know how right we are for each other.’ Looking back I think, ‘Wow! Good for me for having the confidence in myself back then to know that if someone would talk to me for only ten minutes they’d love me.’ I wish I hadn’t spent so much time wishing he’d known how great I was. I should have spent my time thinking about those who already knew.
All About Steve is about a cross-word puzzle writing Mary Horrowitz (Sandra Bullock) who has a truly horrendous hair cut (I’m sorry but it just must be said). When a group of elementary kids makes fun of her for being single, she accepts a blind date with the very good looking Steve. She quickly becomes his stalker and follows him around the south west as he travels with a local news team.
Mary is funny. Mary is smart. Mary is quirky. Mary is loveable. Mary is all of these things to most everyone she meets...except for Steve. If he would only give her ten minutes! If he would only see her for who she is! If only she would stop caring about the person who doesn’t see how great she is because there are plenty around her who do. Sound familiar?
This movie was great fun I thought. Not a winner for everyone though, since there are of course reasons it didn’t do so great (please see Marty’s review of it). But if you relax and don’t expect a ton you might like it. I thought Bullock was hilarious with all the pointless trivia she spouted out to anyone who would or would not listen. I know a few people who are like that. If you know me and think you might be one of those people, you probably are and I love you because of it. Except for that one person I love despite it. You know who you are. :)
Motherly Advice: This one needs tons of filtering. With your filter settings on ‘Most’ there are still scenes of implied premarital sex on a first date, revealing clothing (Sandra Bullock wears a very short skirt the entire movie and a revealing bra in one scene) and sensual dialogue. Filtered, this one is for adults and older teens I think.
Danielle’-A Three Letter Word for a Crazy Person Who Cooks, Cleans, Sometimes Forgets Her Own Name and is Covered With Kids
Rated PG-13 for sexual content including innuendos.; 98 min; Directed By Phil Traill
All About Steve
Mary Horowitz (played by Sandra Bullock), a crossword puzzle constructer for the local newspaper, is encouraged by all concerned to develop her social skills and get a life. On a blind date, she falls hard for Steve (Bradley Cooper), a hunky camera operator for a cable news channel who doesn’t reciprocate her feelings. Mary interprets a comment of Steve’s to mean she should follow him across the country as he gathers news. In this romantic comedy, both romance and comedy fail to materialize.
The ClearPlay Factor
There is plenty of sex and innuendo in the un-edited All About Steve, including physical intimacy on a first date. The ClearPlayed version removes between 40 and 50 instances of sexual references and profanity, in addition to some risqué scenes. ClearPlayed, the movie may appeal more to kids than adults because of the broad attempts at comedy.
1-Across: What’s a 7-letter word for ’fails to hit the target’?…
While All About Steve is filled with good intentions (a message of being true to oneself) and avoids familiar rom-com conventions, it’s undermined by odd casting and strange directorial decisions in handling the material. After repeated plot MISFIRES (answer to “1-Across” above), audience members tend to lose connection with story believability. It’s one thing to be quirky. It’s another to be ridiculous.
Marty Nabhan— ClearPlay Cryptic Crossword Fan
Rated PG-13 for sexual content including innuendos.; 98 min; Directed By Phil Traill