The latest Hollywood attempt at romance hit theaters with Something Borrowed. The movie centers on Rachel, whose best friend from childhood, Darcy, is engaged to be married. The problem is that she is engaged to Rachel’s college crush Dex, and due to Darcy’s aggressive nature, she actually stole Dex from Rachel 10 years prior. After Rachel’s 30th birthday party, Dex and Rachel have an exchange that leads them to an affair on Darcy that continues through the engagement. Rachel is now stuck in the middle of the love of her life or her lifelong best friend, who does she choose?
 

Something Borrowed is a rare film where every character who steps foot on-screen is completely unlikable. The main characters of Rachel and Dex, who we are supposed to want to get together by the time the film wraps up are gutless, spineless wimps and that is before you factor in the scuzzy nature in which they are cheating. Darcy is so outlandishly unlikable it reflects negatively on both Rachel and Dex for the simple fact of having this person as a friend or a fiancee -- which leads to another large problem with Something Borrowed...every single relationship in the movie is completely unbelievable. 
 

We are to believe that Rachel and Darcy are best friends, but neither really demonstrate why that would be? Darcy uses Rachel as a doormat, but Rachel -- the smart lawyer -- would never develop a backbone to say enough in thirty years? Looking at it dryly, people are friends because the relationship benefits them in some way. In this movie none of that is shown. The movie also includes a character named Ethan, who is Rachel’s “guy friend.” Ethan is always around, despite openly disliking everyone around him other than Rachel. And all Ethan does in the film is berate Rachel for being a spineless doormat for all the “friends” in her life, and since Ethan is straight, and conveniently hanging around I’m sure you can guess who he happens to like. 
 

At least in most of these horrible romance movies the writers at least try to interject some humor into the plot somewhere. There are no funny moments to be found here. The filmmakers always at least get the evil fiancee or fiance right and the audience hates her/him enough to want our lead characters to find a way to be together, right? Not in this movie. In fact, the cheating that Rachel and Dex undertake is so distasteful that at the end you almost feel sorry for the horrible, selfish, Darcy. Almost.
 

I can’t really blame the cast, other than their decisions to be in this train wreck. It is not bad acting that does this film in. In fact, it’s become all too familiar to see Kate Hudson in these sort of bad romance movies. It’s a shame, too, because she has talent as an actress. 
 

I know people will go to Something Borrowed looking for romance, but there are several better options in theaters right now to fulfill this need including Fast Five and Thor. Funny that comic book action movies know how to do romance better than the romance movie. But that’s the horrible truth about this movie -- all it aims to be is romance so when it fails at that there is nothing else to fall back on. With little to offer in entertainment, story or redeeming values, I have a hard time recommending this film to anyone.
 

FILMS LIKE SOMETHING BORROWED : My Best Friend’s Wedding, Valentine’s Day and My Best Friend’s Girl

Justin Buettner is Style's resident movie dude! How did he get this role? Well, he graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts in film Production and a duel minor in Animation and Business with an emphasis in the entertainment field. He later went on to work on several independent films in various key roles including writer and later worked in the special effects field as a motion capture artist. He has since relocated to the Sacramento area with his family and continues writing for small independent films in addition to his movie reviews for Style Magazine.

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