CINEMA RELEASE: MR. RIGHT
Director: Paco Cabezas
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Anson Mount, RZA
Classification: MA15+ (Strong Violence and Coarse Language)
Review by Peter Gray
The hitman-themed romcom isn’t always an easy sell but when it’s done right it can often be quite charming. Though it may not match the genre heights of ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ or ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’, ‘Mr. Right’ still manages to successfully blend action and romance in a manner that manages to make its rather jarring blend of the two somewhat organic.
Though direction from Paco Cabezas feels a little too casual at times and tighter editing would’ve been appreciated during the film’s more action-orientated sequences, ‘Mr. Right’ has a certain charm about it with its happy-go-lucky tone, quirky sense-of-humour and, most importantly, its pairing of Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick. I dare anyone not to fall completely in love with these two either as individuals or together as his eccentric appeal and her kinetic mix of crazed and cute is what floats the film above mediocrity.
The sitcom-like set-up sees Rockwell’s oddball assassin, who has grown something of a conscious during his professional years and has adopted a “murder is bad” like mentality where he only offs those that hire him, meet Kendrick’s jilted girlfriend in a convenience store and courts her almost immediately. The sheer speed at which these two fall for each other is comical, even by romcom standards, but such is the force of Rockwell and Kendrick’s chemistry that they manage to transform scenes of an insufferable nature into cinematic delight; one prime example being when his character seduces hers through the art of knife throwing.
Outside of their blossoming romance, a smarmy British agent (Tim Roth, clearly enjoying himself) and a stockpile of villains (including a rather likeable RZA) do their best to take out the seemingly invincible Rockwell, resulting in a series of tongue-in-cheek action moments that put Rockwell’s Gene Kelly-style footwork to grand use. Kendrick also gets in on the action, her tiny frame milked for all its worth, and she clearly relished the opportunity to do something a little more physical.
‘Mr. Right’ doesn’t scream cinema-value but it’s a harmless bit of fun that is far more enjoyable than it should be thanks to Rockwell and Kendrick who make this worthy of a theatre visit. There’s romance for the ladies, action for the men, and a neat sense of humour for both to enjoy.
My rating: 3.5/5
