There are so many things wrong with The Rebound I don’t even know where to begin. I guess the biggest issue I had was trying to get my head around Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha as a couple. Not only is it a little too far-fetched to believe, but they also don’t make a good couple and I didn’t want to watch them together. Period. Also, when did Zeta-Jones’ career get so bad she had to resort to playing a cougar in a C-grade straight-to-DVD romcom? I get Bartha being in this. Besides being the least important or funny person in The Hangover films, he’s got no career. But the last time I checked in on Zeta-Jones she was doing alright for herself. Guess not.
The Rebound starts out decent enough, with stay-at-home mom Sandy (Zeta-Jones) going through her daily routine. This involves taking the kids to school, singing Meridith Brooks’ Bitch loudly to herself in the car, and playing in a fantasy basketball league, which she is winning. Then she discovers by way of video from her kids birthday party that her husband is having an affair. Bam! She’s divorced and moving to New York City with the kids. She soon meets Aram (Bartha) and decides he would made a great nanny for her children. This is not only one of the most ludicrous plot devices I’ve ever seen used in a romcom, but it also makes Sandy look like a terrible mother. They of course fall for each other, blah, blah, blah the end.
It’s not much of a surprise that The Rebound has sat shelved since 2009. Besides a few raunchy jokes scattered about, not much else entertained me or held my interest and to be frank, it would have probably made the world a better place if it stayed on the shelf. I’m sure everyone involved, including writer-director Bart Freundlich, has moved on and wishes it would just go away.
Special features on the DVD include interviews with the cast and crew.
Film ** / DVD * (out of 5 stars)
Rated 14A
Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Justin Bartha
Directed by: Bart Freundlich
The Rebound is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
