2 Stars
"Sweet November" is a mediocre love story with a thin candy coating. Underneath the initially intriguing story-line lies a marshmallowy mess of sentimentality, overzealous devotion and curiously unexplained 180-degree personality changes.
Nelson Moss (Keanu Reeves), a high-strung, self-important advertising guru, lives to do four things -- screw, screw people over, work and indulge in material comforts. Not surprisingly, Nelson's personal skills are rather lackluster, especially in regards to women.
Nelson meets the charmingly spastic, would-be flower child Sara Deevers (Charlize Theron) at the DMV office. After a series of haphazardly orchestrated events, including Nelson's mental snap, Sara convinces him to move in with her for one month. In return, she'll help him realize his desire for a less material life.
While that's all fine and dandy, it's also a crock. "Sweet November" encourages all anal-retentive, over-worked rat-racers (or your average college students) to believe that when they have reached their lowest low a shiny, happy angel in golden curls will arrive to whisk them away to self-betterment land.
Not only will this angel break them free from their corporate hell, she will teach them to love tofu, bubble baths, children, lab animals, the transvestite downstairs and the game of hide and seek. Of course, she'll be the best lay they've ever had too. Gag.
Even with the help of Sara, Nelson must strive to attain enlightenment. This effect is achieved by utilizing lots of good ol' Keanu's "pensive thinking" skills, which you might remember from the gum-chewing scene in "Speed."
I can go as far as to say that in the end, Nelson decides that he's in love. Consequently, the Keanu puppet must continue to sing and dance (literally) for the next several scenes until -- oops! -- things aren't exactly going to work out the way he wanted them to after all. It seems that crazy Sara still has a few tricks up her sleeve.
