I have seen several of Sandra Bullock's movies over the years, and have ended up enjoying most of them. I wasn't exactly sure what to think of All About Steve when I first saw previews for it, but I decided to give the movie a chance.
Mary Horowitz loves crossword puzzles and her job constructing them for a newspaper in Sacramento. She knows all sorts of things that she tends to babble on about, which seems to turn some people off. He is temporally living with her parents again and they set her up on a blind date that she almost decides to back out of. Steve is a cameraman for CCN, a news network, and attractive, so Mary is very interested in him. He seems to return that interest, but it isn't long before he decides she is crazy. He fakes a call from work, claiming there is a breaking story he has to go cover to get away from her. Mary remains interested with him and takes an offhand remark he makes to heart and decides to go after him.
The plot for All About Steve is fairly simple overall even though a few complications pop up. Some of what happens is predictable, but I don't consider the movie predictable overall. The few minor surprises do help to make things more entertaining. Some of what happens does stretch believability, which may bother some viewers. Mary ends up in a couple of downright bizarre situations which I think manages to work and make things entertaining. The plot probably won't appeal to everyone, but I think it is worth watching, especially for fans of Sandra Bullock.
With many of the comedies that have come out recently, the funniest moments have been included in the trailer. I thought that could happen with All About Steve but ultimately I don't think it did. There are several very funny moments, including the things that I thought were the funniest, that weren't in the trailers. Mary is a quirky character, and she is involved in some way in most of the funny things that happen. Her actions basically cause Steve to freak out, which is funny to see. His reactions to certain things are very funny. The scenes focused on Steve's work with reporter Hartman do poke fun at reporters and news networks and how they will turn small things into huge stories. The stories they are shown to cover do mostly seem believable, though things are exaggerated. Some of the humor is silly, but I think it works for the movie overall. The humor will probably be too silly for some viewers. There isn't any gross humor, so people who don't care for that won't have to worry with this movie.
I'm not sure if All About Steve is considered a romantic comedy or not officially. I personally don't think the movie is a romantic comedy. In my opinion, the movie is a comedy with just a touch of romance in it. The little bit of romance that is in the movie isn't exactly normal either. Mary is basically stalking Steve, though it is in a harmless way. Mary is immediately attracted to Steve and since he returns the interest at first, she believes they are starting a relationship. She is a bit delusional about Steve and his feelings, though he didn't help matters by not being truthful when he decides during their date that he isn't interested. Mary and Steve actually only spend a small amount of time together and their relationship is more unusual. Most of what happens is focused on Mary's attempts to find Steve. Some people may not like the movie because of the stalker aspects of the plot.
Even though there really isn't much romance in All About Steve, there is some minor sexual content. There are comments made by a few characters that are sexually though not really graphic. After seeing Steve and deciding that she is attracted to him, Mary modifies her outfit so that her lacy red bra and a lot of skin is showing. Once they are in his car, she basically pounces on him and they come very close to having sex. Mary is only wearing a very short skirt and her bra at that point, so she is showing a lot of skin. Steve's bare chest is visible briefly as well. That is it for nudity and sex scenes in the movie, so the sexual content is more mild. For most of the movie, Mary is wearing a very short skirt. She continues to show skin, but it isn't done in a slutty way. There is a little bit of mild swearing and one obscene gesture. Those things are why the movie is rated PG-13. There really isn't anything offensive in the movie, though this isn't a movie for children.
Mary is one of the more unusual characters that I've seen in a movie recently. She is very intelligent, which helps her with her job creating crossword puzzles, but she doesn't seem to have as much common sense at times. She has a tendency to babble about all sorts of things, which annoys or turns some people off. She's told to be more normal and some people even consider her crazy or unbalanced. Talking a lot, always wearing red boots, and not being exactly what society calls normals does not equal crazy or unbalanced. Yes she does go overboard as far as Steve is concerned, but I don't think that makes her crazy either. She looks at things differently than many people and she doesn't always make the best decisions, but I think she means well. I can see that there are likable aspects to her, though other people may feel differently and may not like her at all. I do think Sandra Bullock does well with the part.
Steve is a cameraman for a news network and he is use to having to travel around the country to cover stories. He seems like a nice guy, though not as much is shared about him. He doesn't deal well with certain situations, which did contribute to Mary deciding to follow him. Bradley Cooper does fine with the part. The part is different from the parts he played in Failure to Launch, The Hangover, and Wedding Crashers.
Hartman is the reporter that Steve works with. Hartman is self absorbed and is always thinking about getting an anchor position. Hartman seems nice enough, though he is completely clueless about many things and seems to have lost some of his marbles at some point. Thomas Hayden Church does well with the part. Angus works with Steve and Hartman and acts more reasonable than both men at times. Not much is shared about Angus, so Ken Jeong doesn't have a lot to do. Keith David turns up in a few scenes as Corbitt, the men's boss at CCN.
While trying to catch up to Steve, Mary encounters different people. Norm is a truck driver that gives Mary a ride. He is irritated by her at first, but he seems to end up liking her. M.C. Gainey does fine with the part. Elizabeth and Howard are people that Mary becomes close with quickly. Howard especially is more unique, but Mary accepts them and they accept her. Katy Mixon and DJ Qualls do fine with the parts. Howard Hessman and Beth Grant turn up briefly in a few scenes as Mary's parents. The few other characters that turn up aren't around enough to be developed or really stand out.
Main Cast
Sandra Bullock - Mary Thomas Hayden Church - Hartman Bradley Cooper - Steve Keith David - Corbitt M.C. Gainey - Norm Ken Jeong - Angus
Phil Traill - Director
All About Steve is a bit different, but I think it works as an entertaining movie overall. The things that make it different will be the same things that turn some viewers off. This movie isn't for everyone, but I think it is worth giving a chance. Fans of Sandra Bullock may find something to like about the movie.
This is a movie I would have rated three and a half stars if I had the option. Since I don't, I decided to round up to four.
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A brilliant crossword-puzzle designer travels across the country in hopes of convincing a CNN cameraman that the pair is meant to be together only to ...More at Family Video
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