DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Gray Matters

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 18, 2007, 15:54 GMT

A sister decides to find her brother a girlfriend but finds that she’s the one with the conflicts when she has feelings for her brother’s intended.

What the back of the box says:
“In this hilarious romantic comedy, Gray (Heather Graham) helps her brother (Tom Cavanaugh) find the love of his life. But the night before her brother's wedding, Gray's world is turned upside-down when she discovers that she has feelings for his fiancé (Bridget Moynahan)! With the help of a sarcastic co-worker (Molly Shannon), a sympathetic cab driver (Alan Cumming), and her therapist (Oscar-winner Sissy Spacek), Gray is forced to figure out who she really is.”

I guess the back of the box stuff spoils the surprise but Gray (Heather Graham) and Sam (Tom Cavanaugh) are mistaken for being a couple at their friend’s (Molly Shannon) dinner party. It’s not the first time that this has happened since they seem more like a close couple than brother and sister (not particularly legal in New York city). So Gray decides to try and find Sam a girlfriend by taking him and a borrowed dog to a dog walking park which is the singles vortex. There they meet Charlie (Bridget Moynahan) and the trio goes to a Spanish wine bar where Sam seems to hit it off well with Charlie. So well in fact that Charlie and Sam are engaged when Gray catches up with them the next day. They’re flying to Vegas to get hitched and want Gray to be their witness. The bride to be insists that she and Gray share a room as to keep some sort of tradition in their wedding. A drunken evening of bachalorette partying ends with Gray and Charlie sharing a passionate kiss. What follows next is a comedy of identities as Gray tries to come to terms with her feelings for his sister-in-law, but also with her sexuality. She has some “help” in the form of her wacky shrink (Sissy Spacek) who insists on taking her to very strange places (bowling alley, rock climbing wall, batting cages, etc.) for their consultations. So Gray embarks on a series of comedic date encounters as she tries to convince herself that her feelings for Charlie were a fluke. I suppose the whole thing seems a bit rushed like Sam and Charlie’s courtship. The performances are really rather good, with Graham playing the likeable lead. She and Moynahan even have a groovy dance number together set to an old movie. She has some comedic support from Molly Shannon and a nice turn by Alan Cumming as a likeable cab driver. However, the whole thing seems like it’s taking a rather serious subject and making a light comedy out of it. Gray Matters is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a 3 minute “The Making of Gray Matters” which has interviews with Graham, Cavanaugh, Moynahan, and writer/director Sue Kramer (well I assume it’s her since nobody is identified). The other features include the theatrical trailer and trailers for Winter Passing, Find Me Guilty, and Haven. Gray Matters is a light comedy that takes on a serious subject. The performances are pretty good but they really don’t seem to answer the questions that the narrative poses. However, it is a pretty good movie unless you are put off by the themes tackled but again they’re tackled so lightly that it might not offend you at all.

Gray Matters is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an August 13th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.

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