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but it feels more genuine than the rest. The performances are directly on target. Henry's transformation is persuasively portrayed by Crudup. Lucy is best described as a normal Mandy Moore character, only as if she was actually a real person as opposed to a screenplay creation: she still has the adorable sweetness, but it's hidden under worn layers of regret and uncertainty.
Wilkinson is always top-notch, and Dianne Wiest as Lucy's mother provides some genuinely funny mother-daughter scenes, which are even touching, in their own way. Martin Freeman also shows up, and fans of BBC's The Office will be amused by his character, Lucy's preppy and pretentious British ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. His character is a bit of a cliche, but his storyline allows for a really good moment near the end of the movie between Henry and Lucy: Henry has the opportunity to destroy Jeremy's relationship with Lucy, but decides he wants to win her by his own merits rather than by destroying someone else's.
Little treasures like that are part of what makes the movie worthwhile. The other part is the underlying sadness between the two leads, built largely from the Wilkinson character's death; their relationship arises so that they can comfort each other and turn their lives into things worth living. Instead of already being beautiful and successful people like in most movie romances, Henry and Lucy's relationship is built on basic human necessity as well as desire, and it's what allows Dedication to rise above the mediocrity of the genre's usual offerings.
Movie Grade: B+
Synopsis:
Henry Roth is messed up. A New York children's book author who tells kids that Santa doesn't exist, he hates sleeping with - and next to - anyone, including his girlfriend and must lay on the floor, usually with heavy objects on top of him just to feel safe. His motto is "Life is nothing but the occasional burst of laughter rising above the interminable wail of grief."
Dedication, a modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book series (Billy Crudup) is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator (Mandy Moore) after his best friend and creative collaborator (Tom Wilkinson) passes away marks the directorial debut of Justin Theroux. As Henry struggles with letting go of the ghosts of love and life, he discovers that maybe all it takes is a little dedication.
Sometimes you have to take a gamble at life to find love.
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