Worst Films Of 2010 No.10 - Leap Year

Plot:

A girl likes a guy. Apparently, she can only propose to her guy on a leap year in Ireland, which has been taken over by a strange breed of insanely racist caricatures. Will she fall for the rather smelly looking, Aran sweater-loving, oh-so-Irish he’s almost a caveman Matthew Goode? Will she get into bar fights and wacky hi-jinks? Will there be semi-rapist farmers at every turn, demanding soft-core pornography in return for shelter? Be Jaysus you betcha!

Reasons it’s on the list:

Leap Year is just flat out racist and offensive. Even my huge soft spot for Amy Adams can’t save this film from ridicule. There is so little to praise here, bar some nice scenic shots (Although its sad that those discover Ireland shots do a better job) and Amy Adams at least trying to make this charming.

Everything is a play on how ‘quaint’ and ‘different’ Ireland and its inhabitants are. Different not just from pretty but fastidious Americans, but also from every other human being on the planet. Maybe I just happened to miss that my homeland is full of 1920’s train stations, possesses in total approximately 8 cars and the we suffer the occasionally tropical monsoon. Aside from my own bruised national pride, the film has zero chemistry between its leads, an obvious and saccharine ending, jokes that include cutting a chickens head off for comedic effect and did I mention the racism?

Down With This Sort Of Thing!

If you hated this, also avoid: When In Rome

Also awful and almost as racist, When In Rome sees Kristen Bell steal some coins from a magic fountain causing men to fall for her in increasingly unfunny and drawn-out ways. After messing with these men’s heads, she returns the coins and (wouldn’t you know it) finds love in all the right places, a public fountain in Italy. Oh and Danny DeVito is in there somewhere, probably to appeal to the ugly dwarf market or something (Just playing Danny, you know I love you). A mindless film that portrays Italians as self-obsessed morons and Americans as wacky oddballs, this only avoids the list due to at least having slightly more heart in its third chapter. Still dreadful mind you.

See you tomorrow for No.9, til then!