Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Numerootno
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
ctomvelu1
I should have known this was based on a novel. It plays out like one. Adult drama about a Chicago lawyer whose wife abruptly leaves him. He has a young son to care for, and for reasons I missed, he then moves to Kansas (it may have to do with what I presume is a sister living there). He picks up a job as a high school basketball coach. One of his players has a sister with whom the now-single dad begins a relationship. Guess who comes roaring back into his life at this juncture. Then, on top of everything else, he gets a call from an old classmate who is a lawyer in Dallas and who offers him a job. Now things get really complicated, especially when he realizes he cannot take his son with him. Vince Vaughn is the dad and Lauren Adams is the new love interest. The wife is played by Monica Potter, an actress who sounds like Julia Roberts but who never has had much of a career. Vaughn and Adams are fine in this chick flick, Potter not so fine. She simply lacks the acting chops to pull off the role of a troubled, wayward woman. If Elizabeth Banks had been old enough to play the role, she would have done it justice. The movie is for women and sensitive men only. Manly men, beware.
Rob Grayson
Watching this film for the second time I found it wasn't as good as i'd initially remembered. Vince Vaughn is excellent in a straight dramatic role and his performance really carries the film, his interaction with his son is the main selling point. Joey Lauren Adams, although not given a whole lot to do, is very charming but remains two dimensional. Monica Potter does OK with a fairly thankless role but like Adams, her character's moods and motivations are never really explored. As a examination of the relationship between father and son the film does its job, however the various subplots are neglected and give the feeling of being there solely to pad the runtime.Overall not a bad way to spend an hour and a half, just don't expect to be blown away by it.
jamaican_moma
I saw the movie before and after I became a parent. The performance was so real and honest about life as a single parent, the choices we want to make, the choices we really make and the joy of parenting. From his being totally inept at dealing with his child, to making the tough choice of abdicating his responsibility, through the stand-up choice of taking on the job of parenting and conquering his fear of losing his career. The other actors in the movie were pretty unknown to me but I wasn't quite enthusiastic about their performances. Wonderful, touching movie! Solidified Vince's chops. Always thought he was an under-used actor and under-exposed. Look forward to seeing the "Wedding Crashers". He stole the movie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) from Jolie and Pitt.
superscal23
A Cool Dry Place is yet another film that helps make the point about small independent movies being better than most studio films. I try to pick out unknown movies with known stars. That's how I came upon A Cool Dry Place. Vince Vaughn stars as a single dad trying to adjust to life in a small town after years of being a married, working city man. Vince is torn between the characters played by Joey Lauren Adams, and Monica Potter. Adams is much more tolerable in this movie than she is in most of her other films I have seen. I think its because her character has more of an edge, and isn't always trying to be a sweetheart like her characters in other movies are. I don't really care for Monica Potter. I would say she gets the job done, but nothing more. The actor playing Vaughn's son is wonderful because he's not as annoying as most child actors are.I admit that this movie is kind of slow, and struggles to keep your attention for about ninety minutes. If you make it that far, the climax to the movie is magnificent, and leaves the audience with a wonderful feeling as the credits roll.
