director : michael hoffman screenplay : terrel seltzer and ellen simon producer : via rosa productions / fox 2000 pictures running time : approx . 108 minutes . cast : michelle pfeiffer , george clooney , mae whitman , alex linz rating : * * * 1/2 out of * * * * * ok , i admit i had a bad attitude about this film from the start . a romantic comedy about the trials and tribulations of single working parents ? with a couple of incredibly cute kids thrown in for good measure ? yuck . but it's not really too bad . it has a lot working against it , for me at least . in addition to the above , it is typical of a lot of recent movies in that it is really just a glorified made-for-tv movie , but longer and with bigger stars , and you have to pay to see it . it does win you over , though , even if it is painfully predictable . just think about it : two single parents , with their cute kids , are thrown together due to a missed field trip . through a day of near disasters , they cont inually meet , get in one another's way , cause trouble for one another , and generally insult one another at every opportunity . in fact , they hate each other so much that we know that they are , or soon will be , in love . the only people who hate each other more than lovers are married couples . so this film is predictable , just as the screwball comedies of the classical hollywood cinema were predictable ( and the screwball genre is obviously hoffman's model for this film ) . will they get fired from their yuppie jobs ? will they make the big soccer game that is so important to their kids ? will pfeiffer realize what a jerk her ex-husband , a drummer for bruce springsteen , really is ( aren't they all ? ) ? will they finally kiss ? well , what do you expect ? but there is a certain amount of satisfaction in having our expectations fulfilled , especially when it is done with as much humour , along with a lack of sticky sentimentality , as it is in this film . pfeiffer and clooney have a certain chemistry together that is surprisingly charming , and the kids are neither shoved into the background nor allowed to steal the show . one word of caution , though . this film is being billed in some places as a " family " movie . don't let that stop you . however , i think most kids , especially boys , would be pretty bored by this move . after all , nobody gets killed and there are no explosions . all in all , a good , non-offensive date movie . the flying inkpot rating system : * wait for the tv2 broadcast . * * a little creaky , but still better than staying at home with gotcha ! * * * pretty good , bring a friend . * * * * amazing , potent stuff . * * * * * perfection . see it twice . <hr>this movie review was written for the flying inkpot : an arts and entertainment magazine from singapore . current film reviews can be found at : <a href= " http : //www . inkpot . com/film/<hr> " >http : //www . inkpot . com/film/<hr></a> 
