The first dumb thing Emma says in "Alex & Emma" is when she explains why she always reads the last page of a book before
committing to the entire thing: "If I like the ending, I know I'll like getting to it." Bullcrap. The endings of romantic comedies are always completely likeable — the two people who belong together wind up together — but a lot of these films are quite unenjoyable anyway. In fact, the opposite of Emma's philosophy holds true with rom-coms. The ending, predictably sunny from the first reel, is irrelevant. What makes or breaks it is the journey. And "Alex & Emma" is broken. Emma is played by Kate Hudson, who is the new Meg Ryan. I don't mean she has merely assumed Meg Ryan's duties as America's romantic-comedy sweetheart; I mean she has actually BECOME Meg Ryan. If you go to Meg Ryan's house, you will not find her. Her family's like, "She was here, and then she was in ‘Kate & Leopold,' and then she was gone. We're stymied."
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