Did You Hear About The Morgans?

I honestly was starting to wonder if they still made charming sweet romantic comedies. You know, funny, well written ones with honest real love stories without peppering every other scene with sex and innuendo.

Turns out, they do. “Did You Hear About The Morgans” is everything a good rom-com should be – and just barely worth a PG-13 rating (I've actually seen PG movies that were worse).

Meryl and Paul are separated. He slept with another woman, she can't trust him, and now he is doing everything in his power to win her back to no avail. Then one night they become the sole witnesses to a high profile murder and the FBI ships them off to Ray, Wyoming in the Witness Protection Program.

There in the strange wild world of bears, guns and $5 sweaters at the Bargain Bin, Meryl and Paul have no choice but to spend a great deal of time together. Paul does everything in his power to be agreeable, charming, funny and understanding... and Meryl begins to listen. They even get some subtle (and not so subtle) counseling from their hosts, an older couple who are both in law enforcement. But will they manage to work out their differences before they're moved to their permanent – and separate – new homes? Or worse, before the murder suspect tracks them down and kills them as well?

I'll be honest, Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant are not on my list of favorite actors. In fact I've found them both kind of annoying in the past. However as Meryl and Paul they are absolutely delightful and truly fun to watch. These are exactly the roles they were always meant to play, and they execute a performance worthy of the romantic comedy legacy of stars like Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn.

As a movie that deals heavily around the meeting of two cultures, city and country, I felt the film did a very good job of milking the comedy out of the situation without being too stereotypical or offensive about it. It also delivered a strong message for the fact that marriage is hard, but worth fighting for. Finally it seriously pursued an understated but poignant adoption subplot that I found very encouraging.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by what a lovely movie “Did You Hear About The Morgans?” ended up being. While not necessarily appropriate for younger audiences (they wouldn't find it terribly interesting anyhow), it's perfect for a couples night, or for family viewing with older teens.