review: "All About Steve"

ALL ABOUT STEVE

In this refreshingly quirky comedy, Sandra Bullock is Mary Horowitz, a Sacramento crossword puzzle writer who’s geeky and hyperactive and generally too much to bear. When her parents fix her up with a handsome cable news cameraman named Steve (Bradley Cooper), Mary pounces, but quickly scares him away with talk of “destiny.” Undeterred, she begins following Steve and a washed-up reporter (Thomas Haden Church) as they head across America, covering ratings grabbers such as a baby with three legs, and a mine shaft cave-in that’s stranded a dozen hearing impaired children. Writer Kim Barker (License to Wed) and first-time director Phil Traill aren’t afraid of big jokes (deaf kids down a well) but they also pay attention to the small details of character. As if to suggest that Mary finds solace in a nerd-friendlier time, her bedroom décor is strictly 1969-70, while her much-discussed go-go boots are a seeming nod to the kooky brainiac Barbra Streisand portrayed in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970). Although Bullock initially struggles with a character she’s probably too old to play, she ultimately makes Mary funny and sympathetic without softening her innate weirdness. The actress earns points too for daring to co-produce a Hollywood comedy that isn’t about a wedding. (Chuck Wilson)