Despite being fish-out-of-water formulaic, Leap Year has a snappy “Put a Ring On It” angle that makes it more refreshing than most typical American rom coms. The story opens on Anna (Amy Adams), an apartment designer by day and a desperate-to-get-married woman by night. Her intended is Jeremy (Adam Scott), an obnoxiously tight-wound type-A personality who wears cufflinks and perfectly starched, custom-made shirts and just won’t propose. But while Jeremy is abroad on business, Anna hears about the tradition of the Irish Leap Year: it seems every four years, on February 29, a woman is allowed to propose to her man instead of the other way around – but only in Ireland. Faster than you can say “Harry Winston,” Anna packs her Louis Vuitton luggage and hightails it off to the land of leprechauns. Through mountains, sleet, snow, mud, stranded cows, and boat rides, she never removes her high heels. But she does eventually let her hair down thanks to a sexy, charming local boy named Declan (Mathew Goode), who teaches her to stop and smell the roses, make a stew, and discover what good pub beer tastes like. The movie isn’t really a love triangle, since we don’t see Jeremy again until the film’s final moments. Instead it’s about finding your mate for life,finding that rare man who thinks you’re beautiful without makeup or botox – even when you’re incredibly annoying, which, unfortunately, Anna is throughout the movie. That said, this is a very sweet, if very imperfect, little date film. My only question – why wasn’t it released in February during a leap year? Two and a half tiaras
