caseofyouI imagine it’s difficult to make a romantic comedy that isn’t rife with clichés.  I entered the screening for A CASE OF YOU with absolutely no expectations.; all I knew of the film was that Justin Long co-wrote it and starred alongside Evan Rachel Wood.   Surprisingly, the film is a fun watch, but doesn’t contribute anything new to a vastly overcrpwded genre.

A CASE OF YOU follows Sam (Long), a young Brooklyn writer who has found success in writing movie novelizations for young adults.  He harbors a crush on Birdie (Wood), a free-spirited barista from his local coffee shop.  In an effort to win her affections, Sam discovers her Facebook profile and decides to learn all of the things she is interested in.  When they begin to get serious, Sam has to decide whether to keep up the charade, or come clean about his scheme to win her over.

It isn’t so much that A CASE OF YOU is a bad film – it’s more like a disappointing film.  Justin Long is very interesting and endearing male lead, but his plight is very familiar.  The “guy does everything for the girl of his dreams” bit is a tired routine.  The early word was that this film was unique and original, but from my perspective it seemed like an effort to put some good-looking young stars front and center.  That’s not to say that the script is problematic.  I actually found this film entertaining, but more in the sense that it would be a fun watch to pass the time on a Saturday afternoon – not a spotlight film at a festival that touts innovation in cinema.  Far from it actually.

One way that this film attempts to make you forget its weaknesses is by loading the smaller roles with celebrity cameos.  It’s interesting to note that these scenes were actually the best in the film.  Peter Dinklage shows up a few times as a gay barista at the coffee shop and the great Sam Rockwell has some funny scenes as a guitar instructor that may or may not have been a back-up guitarist for the Spin Doctors.  (the song TWO PRINCES is always fun to listen to), Vince Vaughn, naturally, steals the movie in his handful of scenes as Sam’s literary agent. There is nobody more adept at making a scene than Vaughn, and his appearances in this film were very welcome.

A CASE OF YOU is a film that delivers in that it is worth a watch, but I wouldn’t recommend rushing to the multiplex to see it.  Justin Long has a long and interesting career ahead of him, but this film will not impact the pedigree of his filmography.

[Rating:3/5]