I watched `Serving Sara' on Saturday. I wish I could say it was a very funny film. I wish I could say that Matthew Perry doesn't look unhealthy for most of the movie. I wish I could say that Elizabeth Hurley was a good comedic actress. I can say that it's clear even when she's acting that Ms. Hurley is a very classy lady. She's also obviously comfortable in front of the camera. However, her use of exaggerated hip swaying and mouth expressions isn't effective in carrying the jokes. When I think of popular actresses who are naturally funny, I think of Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan. Both these ladies utilize their eyes and whole faces in delivering their comedic lines. As for the very likeable Matthew, the circles under his eyes and his drawn face made it hard for me to focus on his performance. His delivery was similar to his acting in `Friends', but in `Serving Sara' his appearance throughout the whole movie seemed subdued. Perhaps he lacked gusto due to the health crisis he was battling at the time of filming or maybe he was directed to be less `Chandler', and more streetwise and scrappy. As for the other two main co-stars, Vincent Pastore basically plays his character in `The Sopranos'; I couldn't detect any difference between his movie performance and television persona. Cedric `The Entertainer' caught my attention with his on-the-verge-of-a-heart-attack performance as the boss with a short temper and high blood pressure. However, his schtick ran out of steam rather quickly. I became unimpressed after his second remark about `that bitch' revealed a lack of original dialogue. Still, if you're a Matthew Perry fan, as I am, the movie isn't an entire waste. The actor's good nature shines through, even when his role calls for him to be something of a jaded character. I had a few chuckles at some of Matthew's more physical scenes and got to watch him for an hour and a half, so I left the theatre with a smile on my face.
Review of Serving Sara
