cmcastl Yes, I liked it. More than I thought I would; much more. I am not the hugest fan of Hugh Grant, but this film played well to both his strengths and weaknesses as an actor and, well, to the background of his life, shall we say. I salute his ability to accept his strengths and weaknesses in accepting the part. The film suggested that, apart from the louche aspects of English writer Keith Michael's life, the part he plays, the chap has a heart and deserves redemption. He just needed the right girl to awaken it and also to awaken his inspiration. He deserved that filip both as character and person. Marisa Tomei was never lovelier than in her girl-next-door role. It is a pity we haven't seen more of her on screen in the meantime. So Hollywood but I love it! There is this dismissive attitude to feel-good movies, as they are called. But I love 'em. Those that succeed,as this does, have this pleasant, positive and life- affirming aura about them. Hollywood's greatest invention, along with the Western. Shakespeare's King Lear is for manic-depressives!In this film, miracles can happen in middle America, that great space in middle of the country that the elites of both sides of the country fly over without caring about it much. But this is the engine of the American economy and the American soul. And writing this review at this time, there are additional political resonances here, are there not?This is a light but philosophical comedy and there is nothing wrong with that, I say. But, to its credit, it does suggest the harsher, harder side of Hollywood. The film didn't have to lay it on the line but I liked that it suggested. at least, the more abrasive quality of reality, particularly the reality of a Hollywood writer who fears he may be past his best. But also, as I said, that the American dream prevails, in the artistic imagination if not always in real life, is an important proposition of the genre. And I say that as someone not American but someone who speaks with Hugh Grant's accent if, enviously, not being quite as good looking as him!Film, or movies, if you prefer, is still the vibrant artistic genre of our time. Modern Western music, architecture, sculpture and painting, seem to be in decline. We needs must take our comfort where we may.Two hours emphatically not wasted.And not to forget Alison Janney, the adversarial mid-West professor, I love her from The West Wing. Pity we haven't seen more of her on- screen in the meantime.

tieman64 Written and directed by Marc Lawrence, "The Rewrite" stars Hugh Grant as a washed-up screenwriter who embarks upon a teaching career at a state university. Here he finds love, happiness and learns various life lessons.It's hard to write a tale about screenwriters without seeming smug and/or pretentious. And if you do, your story still oft comes across as a giant writer's fantasy anyway. Lawrence solves none of these problems in "The Rewrite"; this is ultimately a phony film which, though it at times works well as a paean to teachers, bristles with tired "insights" into the world of Hollywood and Hollywood writing. For this material done better see "In a Lonely Place", "State and Main" and to a lesser extent 2014's "Liberal Arts". Marisa Tomei co-stars.6.9/10 – Worth one viewing.

socrates99 Grant's a lesson in urbanity and wit in most of his movies but never as convincingly as here in this low budget but perfectly cast and beautifully written light comedy set in Binghamton, New York. The movie is about a Hollywood screenwriter who hasn't had a hit in years whose agent gets him a paying 'gig' as a college instructor teaching screen writing.Marisa Tomei gets into his class, J.K. Simmons is Head of his department, and Chris Elliott also teaches at the college and lives next door. Allison Janney plays a pivotal part as the fearsome Professor Weldon, the Head of the Ethics Committee, in front of which Grant is taken for having an innocent affair with one of his students.All in all I thought the comedic timing and direction near perfect and more than a little enjoyable. Clearly the stars here read the script and thought it delightful. With one caveat, that I've taught and live in a college town, I highly recommend. Hugh Grant fans will be especially enthralled but this should be a good choice for any guy too.

TxMike Hugh Grant is aging gracefully, now in his early 50s and a bit more stocky and starting to look like Pierce Brosnan. Here he is Keith Michaels who some years earlier had written the screen play for a movie that was very popular. When he meets new people they often say "That is my favorite movie of all time." But Keith has not had a script idea accepted in some time and needs work. His agent suggests he take the job for one semester as writing teacher at a college in New York.So he flies from sunny and warm California to snowy and cold New York with a paid rental house and car. He decides he will do the minimum, collect his salary, and come up with his next script ideas. Students submit script ideas to be selected into his class, instead of actually reading the scripts he uses their social media profiles to select them. He gets an interesting mix including several very pretty girls. But he goes way too far when he tells the students, 5 minutes into the first class, write the rest of your script, it will take about 30 days, so our next class is in a month. Plus the quick affair with one of his pretty students doesn't help.The college has standards and they are enforced by Allison Janney as professor Mary Weldon who also is the head of the ethics committee. His task is made even more difficult when he insults her favorite author during a faculty social. So eventually to keep from getting fired he has to convince her that he made a couple of honest mistakes and that he really is making a positive difference in the lives of his students.One of his students is Marisa Tomei as Holly Carpenter, a single mother who also works at a number of different jobs when she is not in class. She and Keith strike up a friendship through all this and as the move ends it is not clear but we sense they may be getting together after all the dust settles.Also good is J.K. Simmons as Dr. Lerner, the head of the department Keith is in. He has a way of putting events into a realistic perspective and tells Keith, if that were my 18-yr-old daughter in college and you did that, I'd be after you and I'd probably kill you.All in all a bit better movie than I expected it to be.