I discovered this movie poster on the Geek section of Pinterest as the lead actor in the movie is Doctor Who’s 10th reincarnation, David Tennant. I was excited to see him in a film outside his most celebrated DW stint for four years, so a fellow fan of his downloaded this and watched it. She said it made her laugh out loud and cry at some parts. I had the same reactions when I saw it!
It deserved a blog because my insecure self has similar struggles as Katie, a 30-something lass who is back to square one with her love life and her writing career, and was drawn back into her mother’s arms who, unfortunately, lives on the remote island of Hegg in Scotland.
Katie: I’m like kryptonite to men.
Kryptonite dipped in cellulite.Katie: I know, I’ve gone man vegan.
They say after the first six years, you don’t miss them anymore.Katie: I’m a whole lot hotter than I look.
She’s funny, don’t you think? But of course, her wit packs a punch. Katie is played by Scottish actress Kelly McDonald, who voiced the Disney redhead rebel archer Merida of Brave, and she also played the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw in the Harry Potter movie. (No, I haven’t forgotten David Tennant yet in this post). David Tennant plays James Arber, a writer who based a love story on the island of Hegg entitled The Ornithologist’s Wife which made his celebrity bride-to-be named Lara fall in love with him (played by Star Trek’s Alice Eve). The producers and scriptwriter can’t resist making references to Doctor Who in Tennant’s lines. There’s even an out-of-place red phone box in front of the castle where the wedding was supposed to happen!
James/David plays second fiddle though to Katie/Kelly because his role just makes him quite an irritating accessory at the beginning to Katie’s thematic relevance. They do make quite a funny pair with their biting repartee of each other’s motives and flaws. Why is there a need for a decoy bride? Go see it and find out how their messed up decisions actually led them to the best realizations in their lives. It is a hilarious and sweet movie that anyone would enjoy despite its unrealistic plot. The insecurities and hopes and dreams are true to life though, and any woman who has felt like just being “a chapter in someone’s book” or “a song, not the whole album” will resonate with the sadness of Katie. Sigh. Don’t get me wrong, it turns out to be a feel-good movie. It’s the ordinary, awkward woman who wins in life in the end. Yay!
the gray spots of life 