# Object of My Affection, The (1998)

### reviewed by
Michael Dequina

    (out of ****)

    The Object of My Affection (R) ***
    Sliding Doors (PG-13) ***

Frothy romantic comedies have become so commonplace at the cinema that filmmakers now generally resort to gimmicks to set their films apart. Two romantic comedies currently in release, The Object of My Affection and Sliding Doors, each employ a twist that gives its film a certain uniqueness, but in both cases the gimmicks work.

The Object of My Affection roughly fits the romantic comedy mold. It has its share of humorous moments and a romantic issue at its heart, which is where its twist lies. After being jilted by his lover Dr. Robert Joley (Tim Daly), gay elementary school teacher George Hanson (Paul Rudd) moves in and instantly becomes best friends with social worker Nina Borowski (Jennifer Aniston). When Nina discovers that she is pregnant by her less-than-reliable boyfriend lawyer Vince McBride (John Pankow), she asks George to be the child's acting father. His acceptance, not surprisingly, leads to some emotional complications for the both of them.

More of a surprise is that these complications don't necessarily come dressed in laugh-ready packages. Director Nicholas Hytner and writer Wendy Wasserstein, working from the novel by Stephen McCauley, while frequently throwing in a comic zinger or situation or two, deal rather seriously with the relationship issues being raised. While this approach will certainly disappoint those looking for a lark like Aniston's Picture Perfect, it was perhaps the best way to go. To go for cheap laughs would have been to cheapen the characters, in particular Nina, whose ever-growing but hopeless love for George achieves true poignancy. Adding to the poignancy is the terrific, natural chemistry between Aniston and Rudd; even though one knows a romance is impossible, they are such a perfect screen match that one cannot help but develop a rooting interest for their coupledom. I just wish that the character of Vince was better written. One minute he's a jerk, the next he's surprisingly gentle; he doesn't quite make sense, and as such, Nina's initial devotion to him doesn't quite either.

On paper, the twist of Sliding Doors appears too high-concept for its own good. Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow, sporting the flawless British accent she adopted in Emma), freshly fired from her job at a PR agency, rushes to catch the next train home. The doors on the train car close just as she reaches them. But wait--the film rewinds, and suddenly Helen manages to squeeze her way into the train as the doors close. From here on out, Sliding Doors intercuts between the parallel tales of the two Helens: Helen "A," who misses the train, and Helen "B," who makes the train.

Helen "B," having made the train, arrives home in time to find her live-in boyfriend Gerry (John Lynch) in bed with sultry, slightly unhinged former flame Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). In a tiff, Helen leaves him, gets a makeover, and starts a relationship with James (John Hannah), a friendly Scottish gent she met on the train. Helen "A" not only misses the train; she is also mugged, which makes her arrive home long after Gerry and Lydia's tryst, of which she remains not-so-blissfully unaware. In following the two Helens, writer-director Peter Howitt shows how one simple, chance occurrence can alter the course of a person's life.

Or does he? What makes Sliding Doors so unique and rather thought-provoking is how Howitt holds true to the idea of chance while at the same time subscribing to that of destiny. The two stories are distinctly different, but Howitt comes up with clever "intersections" between the plots, with certain touchstone events occurring in both stories (albeit in slightly altered ways), believably showing how, no matter what happens, the hand of fate is inescapable. Also inescapable is the type of person one is, and this is best exemplified by Gerry, who is a cheating lout in both stories--which is the film's one problem. Although he appears to have some genuine fondness for Helen, he is on the whole an unappealing character, making the story of Helen "A" less vibrant and involving than the "B" tale, which is highlighted by Hannah's delightfully witty James.

Ultimately, however, the effectiveness of The Object of My Affection and Sliding Doors is not due to the gimmicks themselves but the filmmakers who use them with care, intelligence, and style. If it weren't for their talent and savvy, the two films could have easily fallen into the gimmicky romantic comedy scrap heap, an undistinguished group that includes the execrable likes of Made in America and Mrs. Winterbourne. And for that, every moviegoer in the world owes a debt of gratitude.

    Michael Dequina
    Chat Forum Host, The Official Michael Jordan Web Site
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