A little confused

It was an incredibly bad movie. Bad scripting and direction. A lot of wasted talent. And it did not look like an inexpensive movie. The money could have been better spent feeding the poor.

This movie had a great first 15 minutes, and the last half hour (minus the nonsense of them flying cross country to San Francisco and planning on being back by 9:00 the next morning) was pretty OK, too. But the "missed by a fraction" of coincidences in the middle 45 minutes got a bit tiring. That's the whole section where they're "apart" and sort-of, maybe, kind-of trying to connect with each other. This was better done in "Sleepless in Seattle", for instance.

I disagree that the direction was poor; there are several moments where the direction absolutely *makes* the movie. As she leaves the carriage with Lars, there's a follow-on shot, and at the last minute the camera rises with a reveal of the skating rink. That's great stuff. Kate Beckinsale's performance as she breaks into the wedding ("STOP") is terrific, and the set-up scene for the entire movie (simultaneously grabbing the gloves in Bloomingdale's) is about as well done as can be expected.

There are some weak moments, but overall I'd give the movie slightly positive marks; maybe a 7 or 8. The weakness in a couple of the middle scenes hurts it. Extra credit for a great soundtrack, and the director's use of perfect music for each situation ("When you know..."), and the little flute "toodle-ee-ooh" at each of the "fateful" intersections (when Molly Shannon puts the marked $5 bill in her wallet, when Kate sees it on the airplane, etc.)