All About Steve (2009)

O Masterpiece

O Excellent

X Good

O OK

O Mediocre

O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / September 4, 2009

“All About Steve” is better than you’d expect: It’s superior to Sandra Bullock’s “The Proposal,” from earlier this year, and it’s almost as much fun as “Miss Congeniality” (2000). The aforementioned movie and the one under review share themes of individuality and self-worth — both commendable concepts for movies aimed at teenage girls.

Screenwriter Kim Barker’s admirable agenda is carried forth through Bullock’s character, Mary Horowitz, a 30-something who’s still single and temporarily living with her parents again. Mary infamously wears tall, red Wonder Woman-like boots, similar to the sort Lynda Carter wore to play said super-heroine in the late ’70s. But Mary’s fantastical footwear pales next to her vibrant personality. She is excessively chatty, rambunctious and often irritating.

Above all, Mary is an intelligent wielder of words, a trivia buff whose command of synonyms and derivatives can be attributed to her passion for puzzles. (She loves crossword puzzles even more than Stanley Hudson does.) Mary savors her work as a “crossword constructor,” a job that entails creating once-a-week contributions for her local newspaper — which I must confess, made me blush knowingly.

When the lonely bachelorette is set up on a blind date with news cameraman Steve Muller (Bradley Cooper), her overzealous eccentricities scare him away. Steve thinks Mary is crazy — alarmingly so — especially after she misconstrues his polite departure as an invitation to follow him across the country, chasing him as he chases the news.

These two conventional roles are enriched by an unconventional supporting character named Hartman Hughes (Thomas Haden Church), an instigating field reporter determined to get promoted to the anchor desk. And though their roles are small, Ken Jeong (“The Hangover”) and DJ Qualls (“The New Guy”) also complement this ensemble.

Regrettably, Sandra Bullock is usually the Keanu Reeves of actresses, which is to say, she doesn’t have exceptional acting talent, but she occasionally takes little niche roles that work — like this one, or her reluctant, undercover pageant contestant, Gracie Hart. Otherwise, Bullock’s parts are hit or miss. For instance, her performance in “The Proposal” doesn’t work at all, but she’s not bad in “28 Days” (not the zombie movie).

“All About Steve” has a few moments that evoke laughter and some that conjure joy, such as a scene involving a close-call with a tornado, or when she explains why she wears those red boots. It is an enjoyable, feel-good movie that revels in uniqueness.

Directed by Phil Traill

Sandra Bullock / Bradley Cooper / Thomas Haden Church

Comedy 98 min.

MPAA: PG-13 (for sexual content including innuendos)