Review by John Delia
Most all comedy romancers are predictable and Dorfman in Love makes no exception. However, this little fun piece does have some very enjoyable characters and a little twist or two. While the acting may be a little sketchy, the dialogue makes up for any uneven delivery or lack of naturalness. If you are a romantic at heart, then scoot over to see this whimsical love story.
The story centers on Deb Dorfman (Sara Rue) living with her elderly dad Burt (Elliott Gould) after her mother died about a year ago. Frightened that he will do something to hurt himself, Deb makes sure he’s well attended even though Burt thinks she’s more of a bother and complains to her. Deb goes to work each day as a junior account for brother Daniel’s (Jonathan Chase) accountant firm, but feels she’s taken for granted by her older sibling. She has a crush on one of Daniel’s major accounts Jay Cleary (Johann Urb) a Television news person, but for now his interest lies elsewhere. Jay takes an assignment in Kabul and he asks Deb to watch his cat at his new loft. When she moves in and sees it’s a mess, she starts to plan a surprise for Jay’s return hoping he will take notice of her in a romantic way.
The film goes on from there with Deb getting into some tight situations, getting a surprise account for her brother’s firm and getting her space invaded more each day by her dad. Creating a few enjoyable twists, director Brad Leong tries to keep his story interesting and romantic.  While the script does have some fresh dialogue and creative vision, his actors are ineffectual at times with late delivery, stoic facial expressions and looking out of place within the main character’s arc. The script gets quite predictable, but the lovable Sara Rue makes watching this film worthwhile getting her character out of predicaments with nicely handled escapes.
It’s great to see Elliot Gould on the big screen in a role he easily handles as the Jewish father who we find kvetching during nearly every screen moment. In one scene he steals the show with some advice that even he wouldn’t take and finds himself taking a chance at being a different person. Other sweet roles include the ditzy Vronka played by Sophie Monk. As Vronka she shows a wild personality and provocative ways to entice Deb’s brother into a very embarrassing situation.
The movie is rated R by the MPAA for some sexual content.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â An enjoyable light romance with good writing. (C)
Additional Film Information:
- Cast: Scott Wilson, Sara Rue, Elliott Gould, Haaz Sleiman, Johann Urb, Sophie Monk, Hayley Marie Norman
- Directed by: Brad Leong
- Genre: Comedy, Romance
- MPAA Rating: Rated R for some sexual content
- Running Time: 1 hr 32 min
- Opening Date: March 29, 2013