Down with Love

Down with Love arrives as a comedy directed by Peyton Reed, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger give Down with Love a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in Down with Love comes into focus without a long explanation: In 1962 New York City, love blossoms between a playboy journalist and a feminist advice author. Across its 1h 41m running time, Peyton Reed keeps Down with Love alive in individual scenes and uncertain between them.

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As director of Down with Love, Peyton Reed proves alive in individual scenes and uncertain between them in the transitions between intimate material and larger demands. A strong scene in Down with Love often begins with a modest detail before Peyton Reed lets its meaning expand. For Down with Love, the cast and craft keep the experience watchable because the central tone remains visible even during busy passages. The weakness in Down with Love is that too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested, although Peyton Reed usually finds the original rhythm again.

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The acting in Down with Love is anchored by Ewan McGregor, who treats even functional scenes as opportunities to reveal character. Renée Zellweger answers that approach with a different energy, giving Down with Love welcome friction whenever the pace begins to settle. Around them, David Hyde Pierce helps Down with Love feel like an ensemble piece rather than a vehicle with decorative support. Under Peyton Reed, the performances in Down with Love share a tone even when the writing gives them unequal depth.

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What Down with Love has to say is rooted in embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. The experience of Ewan McGregor carries that question through Down with Love without reducing the character to an example. A difficult choice helps Down with Love test the theme through consequence instead of explanation. When Peyton Reed allows ambiguity to remain, Down with Love becomes more involving than a simple statement of intent.

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Down with Love gains much of its identity from comic timing built around character, a choice that makes the world readable as well as attractive. The contribution of Fox 2000 Pictures allows Down with Love to combine comic timing built around character with a consistent visual language. Within its Germany setting, Down with Love makes particularly good use of well judged reactions when the story needs to change scale. Sound and editing preserve the personality of Down with Love by supporting detail instead of announcing every intended response.

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The narrative of Down with Love works from a simple but productive collision between New York City and the central character. Through Ewan McGregor, Down with Love keeps that premise rooted in a reaction the audience can understand. Eve Ahlert introduces an important relationship at a useful point, giving Down with Love a reason to change pace without abandoning its emotional line. The handling of a difficult choice is not equally fresh, yet Down with Love usually earns attention through clarity rather than surprise alone.

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The lasting judgement on Down with Love is an uneven film with enough personality to remain interesting for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. Down with Love earns that response through the focus of Ewan McGregor, the contribution of comic timing built around character and the direction of Peyton Reed. It remains true that too many scenes explain effects the actors have already suggested during Down with Love, which keeps enthusiasm measured. Still, Down with Love understands the experience it wants to create and communicates that intention with recognisable personality.