“Alex and Emma”

Starring Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson

Directed by Rob…

“Alex and Emma”

Starring Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson

Directed by Rob Reiner

“Alex and Emma” is not your average “chick flick.” Sure, there is the basic plot line of a romantic comedy: boy meets girl, girl doesn’t like boy, etc. But this time, a little bit more is involved than the country boy or city boy dilemma of “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Alex Sheldon (Luke Wilson) is a romance novelist with writer’s block. Needing $100,000 in 30 days to pay off his gambling debt to loan sharks who burned his laptop as a threat, he must finish a novel he has yet to start, in order to collect the money. To make typing easier, he hires Emma Dinsmore (Kate Hudson), an uptight, reality-centered stenographer, to whom he can dictate his book.

As he begins to tell the story of a 1920s English tutor who falls in love with a French woman and Emma begins to question his every plot decision, the story of the novel becomes interlaced with the story of Alex and Emma. With Alex appearing as Adam Shipley, the hero of the novel, and Emma showing up as the au pair, the audience watches as elements of fiction become movie reality and elements of movie reality are weaved into the fiction.

“Alex and Emma” is a delightful comedy with smart humor and a fun plot that gives audiences two movies for the price of one as they follow the story within the story.

Luke Wilson does not disappoint as the leading man. Portraying a romance writer whose novels deal with men’s fears of commitment and intimacy, he brings his unassuming charm and comedic timing to the role.

Kate Hudson is extremely enjoyable as a very proper heroine, interjecting doses of reality into the romance she is typing. It’s fun watching the movie make fun of itself as Emma points out the unbelievable scenarios and irritating elements that unfold in your average romance novel.

A large portion of the comedy is set in Alex’s apartment, but the monotony of the confined setting is nicely broken up by cuts to the novel’s developing storyline. Wilson keeps the comedy particularly fresh by narrating over the scenes from the novel, and Hudson, through quips and comments, clearly demonstrates the humor inherent in reality as well as in romance. Constantly playing off one another, these two characters demonstrate how love requires a balance of practicality and romance.

Witty and romantic, “Alex and Emma” will appeal to a variety of audiences on a number of different levels.