Down With Love (2003)

Set in 1962 Manhattan, the feminist author (Renee Zellweger) of a best selling book suggesting that women can be as free sexually as men catches the ire of the playboy writer (Ewan McGregor) of a men's magazine who concocts an elaborate plan to bring about her downfall. Directed by Peyton Reed (BRING IT ON). One can make a comedic satire out of the western genre (BLAZING SADDLES), the disaster genre (AIRPLANE!), the spy genre (the Matt Helm movies) but how does one make a comedic satire of a comedy? Judging by this attempt, you can't. This is a satire of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedies (PILLOW TALK, LOVER COME BACK) but it lacks wit and charm. Day and Hudson played their roles seriously which allowed the comedy to come through. Zellweger and McGregor give smug "wink-wink" performances cluing the audience that they're in on the joke. They're imitations of the real thing and while Zellweger is pert and McGregor is a good actor, they're both poor substitutes for the genuine article. The same can be said for David Hyde Pierce channeling Tony Randall from the Day/Hudson movies. Actually, the movie comes across as a remake of SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (not a good movie but still better than this one) which starred Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis, not Day and Hudson. With Sarah Paulson, Jeri Ryan, Rachel Dratch, Chris Parnell and Florence Stanley.