jackhammer111 this is one of the worst films i've ever seen. to me, it represents the worst aspects of the movie "business". it's a product. not brand name at that. it's the grocery chain generic version of laundry soap or pop corn or a cheap version of a scouring pad/sponge. in order to sustain an industry you have to have product and this is pure product. OK, i've seen worse. at least they try to make a statement about finding love and the hoops we jump through but it contradicts itself time and time again until the characters stand for nothing. personally, i don't relate to any of them or care for them any more than i would poor schmucks caught in the wrong line in a grocery. and their plight seems to me no more serious than that. i give it four yawns. fortunately i was learning my new cell phone so it wasn't a total was of time. (sarcasm on) and how is it that Paul Schneider hasn't gone on to stardom. sarcasm off). this film is as replaceable as a piston rod.

Knuckle Like the title, everything in "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" is swiped or cribbed from another, greater source.In this monstrosity, Paul Schneider, plays the main character Owen, a weedy author of pot boiler murderer biographies who aspires to become a legitimate, serious author. Far from being a sympathetic schlep who we can sympathize with for falling short of his dreams, Owen comes off as a petty, whiny, vindictive loser who does more to sabotage his own efforts than the supposedly cynical, money-is-everything city that surrounds him.Given an opportunity to enter the world of legitimate literature by writing the biography of a scientist, Owen for some reason feels the need to leave the city in the rudest way possible. Ostensibly, this is so he will never be tempted to come back but it comes off as a contrived way to allow our hero to scandalize, verbally brutalize, and otherwise act in a horribly anti-social way to everyone that he has been associating with over the past few years. But then, just as he has burned every single bridge imaginable, he meets and falls madly in love with the girl of his dreams. Oh, the humanity...Aside from some highly derivative dialog (you'll notice some Albert Brooks-esquire lines and deliveries in there) there is a scene involving lime Jell-O that will have you screaming, "That's EXACTLY like the lobster scene in "Annie Hall!" None of Owen's pranks, and the situations that arise from them, are particularly original, clever, or compelling and so when you come to the highly predictable end you are almost relieved. That is, ALMOST. A likelier scenario is that you will be left feeling gypped of your time and money, with your intelligence thoroughly insulted.

ellenjessamy This movie is one that Angelenos and anyone who's had a love-hate relationship with the city they live in will completely understand. Paul Schneider delivers a great performance as a young man trying to start his life over. With the help of his friends and eccentric employer (Fred Willard) he goes on an amusing, and sometimes heartbreaking journey to fix the wrong in his life. First time director Jordan Hawley delivers with a clever script and characters that everyone can relate to. It's great to see Jennifer Westfeldt cast in this as well. Great ensemble cast makes this movie a funny and fresh romantic comedy.

Andy (luciditynow) This film started out with a humorous, well-written screenplay that had potential, but this was wasted by the incompetent direction of its writer, Jordan Hawley. This film is Hawley's directorial debut and it couldn't be a better illustration of his complete lack of directorial confidence, creativity, or thoughtfulness. The dialogue is delivered in a forced, emotionally false way. There are many comedic cheap shots and the humor has a needlessly mean spirit. On a technical note, the cinematography is pretty good with some vibrant colors and a few of the supporting performances, notably Fred Willard's, are funny. However, the film panders to the lowest common denominator and follows a predictable formula. Despite its low- budget, this film has none of the wit and edge you would expect of an indie. It is "mainstream comedy" in the worst sense of the term.