The film opens with a delightful collage of close in shots of dressed-up mice. Of course, they're dead, passed on as it were, but since a major character (Carell) plays taxidermist, the sequence makes good sense. This string of well-kept, well-adorned mice tells back story with charm and humor. And it christens the film with great promise.

The picture also ends with some might. The "big" dinner - the one upon which the premise rests, which holds the predictable climactic moment, which had been painfully delayed far too long - unwinds enjoyably.

Sadly, sandwiched between the beginning and end is more of a string of annoying incidents, than a developing story. Sure, there's some humor, but there's more aggravation. The brunch scene is particularly painfully trying.

These issues could have been resolved in the scripting and editing. With such prime talent and a great director, why was this script produced without further revision? Let's take a look at what worked. The scene where Rudd goes through the sleeping Carell's mice photos and "gets the picture." That's sweet. Why not give Rudd more screen time appreciating those silly little mice, and thus Carell from time to time. Warmer moments where Carell explains his love of that geeky art were completely absent. Regarding that awful brunch scene, why not have Rudd walk away from that proposal, ring on the table? Overall, neither Rudd, nor Carell progress as characters during the bulk of the picture. Instead, filmmakers hope that Carell fouling up Rudd's plans over and over would be interesting enough. It's not.

This film just barely keeps its grade out of my "C" range because of that open, end, and the strong scenes with Julie, and/or the animal artist guy (Jemaine Clement). Clement is a refreshing relief. If you like him here, you should see his comedy music duo "Flight of the Conchords."

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --