Though it has many of the usual and expected beats and elements of a romantic comedy, The Rebound often transcends the genre in surprising and delightful ways. Right from the start it's a joy seeing Catherine Zeta-Jones singing, "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother" in the car after dropping off her son at school. It made me burst out laughing, and set the tone, letting us know that this film wouldn't shy away from being intelligent and real and a bit goofy. It's not completely tame, like many romantic comedies are. It hasn't been de-clawed. It's wonderful and refreshing to have an R-rated film where children play significant roles (usually, those films want a PG or PG-13 rating - and really, I am in favor of chucking the whole rating system altogether, but I suppose that's an argument for another day).
Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones) discovers her husband is cheating, so she moves the kids to New York - all during opening credits. The film doesn't waste any time getting her and her family to the city, where she can meet and fall for Aram (played by Justin Bartha).
When moving to a new city, are the children worried about going to a new school? Are they wondering if they'll ever see their friends again? No, as they drive to the city, we hear this bit of dialogue from her children:
"Are we going to meet any transvestites?"
"What's a transvestite?"
"It's a person who has a penis and a vagina, and they live in the city." (It's the "and they live in the city" that really makes that bit of dialogue work.)
Then when they arrive, the son pees against the hotel wall with a homeless guy. (And there is also the wonderfully inappropriate scene of a nasty pervert flashing Sandy and her kids.) Scenes like these keep the movie from being a predictably sweet romantic comedy.
We're then introduced to Aram, and see his relationship with his parents (Art Garfunkel and Joanna Gleason), who are chiding him for breaking up with a girl they hated. Her best quality, according to Aram's mom, is that she spoke French beautifully. Aram responds, "She was from there."
So, okay, he's just recently been dumped, and Sandy has just left her husband. It's all set for the two of them to meet. And meet, they do, as Sandy rents the apartment above the coffee shop where Aram works. There is a bit of an age difference, as Aram is 25 and Sandy is 40 - and that is essentially the perceived obstacle to their relationship. Also, neither is really looking for a new relationship at the time. Both are searching for some meaning in their lives. And Sandy is looking for a babysitter. Aram is available for that job.
The movie, of course, isn't perfect. There are some stupid moments, like much of the scene in the self-defense class, and the end of the boxing match. There's an extended montage, and then a series of short scenes with each of them working, going on dates, and so on. We know where it's going, so we don't need quite so much of that. And there's another long montage near the end that glosses over a lot of stuff. Aram takes a job, and then travels around the world. So he quit his brand new job? Or did they give him like a year's paid vacation?
The movie is best when it's being silly and slightly twisted. Oddly, it feels most honest when it's being a bit twisted. And any movie that lets us hear Art Garfunkel say, "They're going to give me a new asshole" cannot possibly be a bad movie. (And the lines after that are funnier.) And there is chemistry between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of the most beautiful people on the planet, and it's always a pleasure to watch her. She is one of those few people who is so gorgeous that it's almost distracting at times. And her character, Sandy, is not only gorgeous, but also loves sports - yes, the perfect woman. So what possessed her husband to cheat on her? One really intelligent move this film makes is to not show us the woman her husband cheats with. Because whoever it is, we'd be left disbelieving that he'd choose her over Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The film features a very cool supporting cast. Obviously, Art Garfunkel and Joanna Gleason are wonderful (Art Garfunkel is truly funny). But we also get a sequence with John Schneider that's great. Sandy goes on a date with him, and that scene has a very silly and wonderful moment that had me laughing out loud, but which I don't want to spoil here.
For horror movie fans, there are references to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and other other films, as Aram acts out horror films for the kids while babysitting them.
The Rebound was written and directed by Bart Freundlich, who also wrote and directed World Traveler (2001) and The Myth Of Fingerprints (1997).
The DVD contains snippets of interviews with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bart Freundlich, Art Garfunkel, Justin Bartha, Joanna Gleason, and even the children. Catherine mentions that Art Garfunkel sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" at her wedding.
The Rebound was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 7, 2012.
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