[Update 7/23/18: Deleted all of the screenshots. New DVD came out. Going to redo
this review completely, as soon as I find the time. This review is
horrible. I hate it.]
Is it just me or doesn't Walter Matthau look like a Monkees-era Michael Nesmith
in that poster?
The film opens with Matthau being informed that the money he inherited years ago
is all gone and now he's flat broke. He goes to his uncle, who hates him, and
begs for money. The uncle agrees to give him $50,000 in a wager that he can't
find a rich woman to marry in 6 weeks. If he fails, Walter has to repay his
uncle $5 million! Anyway, Walter finds the awkward (and rich) nerd Henrietta and
starts speed-courting her...but will he get her to marry him in time? And will
he resist his temptation to murder her? What the fuck?
There are a few scenes that I halfheartedly smiled at, but I never laughed once.
Mainly because Walter's character was a spoiled asshole. Henrietta was
likable, but completely unbelievable. I understand that she's a lonely dork, but
what does she see in Walter's character? He's a selfish prick.
A NEW LEAF is not that good of a movie. In fact, I found it boring and uneven.
The uneven part makes sense, because I read that the original cut of the movie
was over an hour longer and even had Matthau going around killing people! When
the studio saw the finished product they trimmed it down into this forgettable
mess.