Movie Review: “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”

Seen on: December 14, 2009

The players: Director: Marc Lawrence, Writer: Marc Lawrence, Cast: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen

Facts of interest: Lawrence also directed "Music and Lyrics."

The plot: A New York couple is forced to enter a witness protection program and relocate to Wyoming after witnessing a cold-blooded murder.

Our thoughts: Marc Lawrence’s new romantic comedy “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” is the epitome of ultra-boring, completely unnecessary cinema. It’s a movie in which nothing really works and the actors don’t seem to have a clue about what they’re doing. Alas, it turns out this one may just as well be among the most disappointing films of 2009.

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker star as Paul and Meryl Morgan, two hard-working New Yorkers who have been separated ever since Paul cheated on his wife with another woman. Paul, however, deeply regrets his mistake and still sees hope in their marriage, which is why he keeps begging Meryl to have a quick chat over dinner.

To cut a long story short, she agrees, and in an odd twist of events, they wrap up their evening by witnessing a cold-blooded murder. Unfortunately for them, the killer sees their faces, and next thing they know, the two are pushed to enter a witness protection program that forces them to abandon their identities and relocate to Wyoming.

While the idea of a troubled city couple trapped in a tiny town outside of nowhere may sound funny and all, “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” is anything but hilarious. Lawrence’s countless attempts at light humor constantly fail, and what we’re left with is plenty of uninspiring dialogue and an overly predictable, clichéd story.

Meryl and Paul are generally annoying characters whose attempts at delivering jokes fail miserably. The first half of the film follows the two as they struggle to adapt to the simple cowboy lifestyle in Wyoming, while the second part has them rediscover the reasons they fell in love for the first time.

None of their adventures in the wild are funny or entertaining, and while Lawrence’s sloppy writing is partly to blame for the mess that is this film, I also can’t help but complain about the miserable acting. I never thought I would say this, but Hugh Grant is perfectly capable of messing up a big-screen performance.

In fact, Grant is worse than Sarah Jessica Parker in this film, because he spends most of the time jumping around like a monkey lost in the jungle. He desperately tries to act all funny as well, but the result is rather embarrassing and far from the charm and humor he usually brings to the screen. It’s a shame, because he hasn’t done anything since “Music and Lyrics.”

Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen portray the two Wyoming marshals watching over our New York couple, and even though their characters suffer from boring shallowness as well, they at least deliver a couple of decent performances. Steenburgen especially is totally likable as the tough cowboy woman with a thing for loud guns.

Freaky quote: "Ah! Agony!" - Hugh Grant

The final word: Sappy messages and dragging sequences are all over “Did You Hear About the Morgans?,” a film that obviously tries to be funny but crashes and burns very early on. There’s a scene in the movie in which a bear traps Hugh Grant. It’s too bad the bear doesn’t eat him, because it would have cut the dreadful 100-minute running time in half.

Article by Franck Tabouring