Richard Haig (Pierce Brosnan) is a well-respected English professor in the United Kingdom, with fiery lectures that were directly inspired from his father and a serious, nonconformist attitude to life and literature. Richard is also a womanizer, indulging in relationships with many of his beautiful undergraduate students that admire him for his aged beauty and intellect. He currently finds himself infatuated with Kate (Jessica Alba), a twenty-five-year-old American woman, who he winds up marrying and having a kid with, much to his surprise initially, but to his delight eventually. Despite this relationship, Richard has always found Kate's sister Olivia (Salma Hayek) incredibly gorgeous as well, and finally gets his chance to win her over when Kate asks for a divorce upon meeting someone from her work that loves and cares about her more than he does.
Richard already has ninety-nine problems and this isn't one of them. Excusing the fact he had to move across the country in order for his marriage to Kate to work without complication, Richard is also an illegal immigrant and needs to gain citizenship if he hopes to stay in the country. With a divorce in the works and a recent DUI on his record, Richard is anything but a sure bet to gain citizenship to the United States. It's only some sick karmic revenge that during all of this, Richard realizes the torment of womanizing and trying to maintain the upkeep on numerous relationships since he can't commit to one woman.
Some Kind of Beautiful is the kind of film I'd ostensibly loathe; admittedly, just the plot made me cringe as I thought of nothing more than an unlikable brute not realizing the ill of his ways. Even as someone who finds commitment and real relationships to be one of the most beautiful things in the world, Some Kind of Beautiful resonated with me as a piece of delightful Kabuki Theater, for lack of a better term, though I'm sure members of Kabuki Theater would look at this film and roll their eyes. This is a zany, screwball comedy at its core, the kind that has gone by the wayside in favor of more romantic, if incredulous, displays of romance and over-the-top comedy, despite lacking half the comedic talent and screen writing craziness.
Keep in mind, Some Kind of Beautiful focuses on a contemptible character and his decisions throughout the film raise red-flags on a consistent basis. On top of that, many situations find themselves not only flirting but dancing with improbability. I'm not afraid to admit that. The problem is that Some Kind of Beautiful, with its trailers, its poster/DVD cover, and its overall sunniness paint it as your average romantic-comedy, brimful of hope and optimism. This is anything but a cheery, feel-good romantic-comedy. Think of the Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler-headlined They Came Together from a few years back, which was a self-referential jab at the onslaught of ridiculous romantic-comedies. Some Kind of Beautiful basically takes the disposition and approach to the genre tropes of a romantic-comedy, and proceeds to spit in its face with its cynical grip on the story and the focus on a despicable character.
A large part of the film's success is attributable to Brosnan, who does a smooth job at playing both unlikable, but undeniably suave. One could analyze the character he plays in a very psychological manner, even making claims that his lack of respect for women and constant desire for "something newer or better" is a result of his father's four marriages, his drinking, or his possible sex addiction. The problem with that assertion is director Tom Vaughan and screenwriter Matthew Newman don't seem to embellish those instances and simply propose them in passing. The real issue is Brosnan's Richard character, who does many unconscionable things throughout the course of this film. The one thing he seems to consistently do right is treat his son with care and respect, for what that's worth. He never blows him off, never breaks a promise, and always knows how to calm him down in the face of danger or trouble.
Furthermore, this film, for as unlikable as its characters can be and for as ugly as its situations can be, has a spirited supporting cast of both Alba and Hayek, particularly Hayek, who help command the screen and work well on their own, even if their chemistry with Brosnan directly doesn't always hold weight. There's never a real spark with either of these women with Brosnan, but perhaps that's only fitting for the premise and idea of this film. When you embark on the life of disconnect and lack of commit that Richard has, a spark is not what you'll get - an endless cycle of heartbreak and disappoint seems to be more fitting.
Some Kind of Beautiful also manages to be pretty uproariously funny more often than it isn't, and that's largely because everyone here is great at performing the classic roles screwball comedy requires in order to be success. The performers are capable of physical comedy routines that are frantic and scatterbrained without being too ridiculous, and the situations here, while many are incredulous, have a way of coming off as at least believable for the world of the film. For many films, that's about as much as you can ask, and while this may not be the cleanest and happiest comedy you'll see this year, it is a lot funnier and more positive than its subject matter often allows.
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jessica Alba, and Salma Hayek. Directed by: Tom Vaughan.
