I have not read the novel this is based on so I have no idea if this is faithful, better, or an abomination. That said, it’s certainly a movie I was not feeling at the beginning. Seemed like the most generic rom com ever. But as soon as the walls came down and it stopped being so much what I thought it was going to be, I realize I was enjoying it.

The flick is about two executives at a publishing house who hate each other. They spend their working days sniping at each other – he’s an insensitive prick and she’s a people pleaser. But they are secretly (or not so secretly) attracted to each other and slowly start to fall for each other… even as they compete for a valuable promotion.

This isn’t an amazing flick, but it’s better than the average romantic comedy. In fact, I decided it’s more a straight-up romance than a rom-com and that’s praise from me. It does have an initial setup of a rom com and it also has that thing that I hate where the girl falls for the sneering bad boy. But the movie is smart enough to show that there’s more to him than a sneering asshole. Which made the movie sufferable (as opposed to what I expected: insufferable).

I’m sure book fans are right in their righteous indignation… they don’t seem pleased with the adaptation. I wouldn’t know… all I can do is react to what’s here and what’s here is better than I expected and certainly better than average. It’s not the smartest romance or examination of a working relationship, but in the land of Hollywood, it’s pretty good.

Score: 85