, so I think I'll talk about it, anyway.Between the cancellation of Angel
and the pick-up of Bones, David Boreanaz was a busy man. During that time period, he worked on These Girls
, The Hard Easy, and Mr. Fix It. These Girls saw theatrical release in Canada and a DVD release in the US, The Hard Easy, with Nick Lachey, has yet to surface, and Mr. Fix It came out just after Christmas as a direct-to-DVD release.I truthfully wasn't expecting a great deal from this movie, and as a result I was pleasantly surprised. Boreanaz plays Lance Valenteen, aka Mr. Fix It. Convinced he's incapable of true love himself, Valenteen helps mend broken relationships by dating women who've dumped pining men and behaving so obnoxiously that the women rush back to their exes, realizing they weren't so bad after all (the opening sequence, showcasing several of Valenteen's targets, is quite amusing). But after the manner of the romantic comedy, Valenteen finally faces a case he can't bring himself to close because, contrary to all his expectations, he's fallen for the woman in question.
Boreanaz puts in a decent, if sometimes over the top, performance here, very different from what we're used to seeing in his TV roles. The story itself is fun, if predictable, and moves along at a good pace. Some of the jokes are a bit strained, and the ending is a bit pat, but no more so than in many other recent romantic comedies I've seen. And the sub-plot with Valenteen's retiree friends is charming. Overall, I found Mr. Fix It to be an enjoyable romp.
One thing I don't understand is the R rating. While several of the jokes are off color, there's almost no bad language in this movie, and the single sex scene features no nudity at all, more's the pity. (Boreanaz should have a clause in every contract requiring gratuitous nudity. Just sayin'.) It almost seems to me that the MPAA rates direct-to-DVD movies more strictly than theatrical releases.
Some personal favorite moments:
The promotional cartoons of Valenteen, pointy hair and all, are hysterical. The blue shirt he wears in the live-action portions of the promotional video is the opposite of hysterical, in that it made me nearly slide off my chaise lounge in amazement at Boreanaz's gigantic shoulders.
The dance scene, in which Sophia (Alana De La Garza) divests Valenteen of his shirt. Yes, I am shallow. Did you want to make something of it?
Rated R for horny dog action, fully clothed sex, and some crude jokes.
