Catch and Release (2006)

Directed by: Susannah Grant | 106 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis, Sam Jaeger, Joshua Friessen, Fiona Shaw, Tina Lifford, Georgia Craig, Christopher Redman, Joyce Krenz, Sonja Bennett, Yorgo Constantine

What should have been the best time of her life for her suddenly turns into a nightmare. Gray Wheeler (Jennifer Garner) loses her fiancé Grady just before their wedding day, when he dies during the bachelorette party. ‘Catch and Release’ starts on the day of the funeral. A house full of people mourns the untimely loss and despite the presence of Grady’s two best friends, Dennis (Sam Jaeger) and Sam (Kevin Smith), Gray can’t take it and flees to the bathroom. There she involuntarily, in a very funny scene, witnesses a quickie by another of Grady’s friends, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), who represses his grief by making out with the caterer.

When Gray can no longer pay the rent on her house, she moves in with Dennis and Sam, who in turn also shelter Fritz. At first Gray can’t stand Fritz. “I never understood why he was friends with you,” she says. But, opposites attract, and it won’t be long before Gray and Fritz become an item. Gray finds a cell phone belonging to her late fiancé and learns that she had a very different life besides hers, one Fritz knows all about. In addition to the grief she has to deal with the death of her great love, she also has to deal with this. Life without Grady isn’t easy for Dennis and Sam either. Grady was Dennis’ business partner, they owned a fishing tackle shop together. (By the way, ‘Catch and Release’ refers to catching a fish and then putting it back in the water). Dennis throws himself into a project to forget he’s lost his best friend, creating a memory garden for Grady. Sam makes a half-hearted suicide attempt by mixing Gray’s sleeping tablets with vodka.

‘Catch and Release’ is her feature film debut for director Susannah Grant. She previously wrote screenplays for both commercially and artistically successful films such as ‘Erin Brockovich’ and ‘In Her Shoes’. Grant leaves a lot of room for the supporting actors, the subplots are almost as important as the character development that Gray undergoes. The side story in which Sam plays the lead is, thanks to the strong acting of Kevin Smith, who seems to be directing himself in this film, by the way, very worthwhile. He portrays a believable character. Although he provides most of the comedic moments, his portrayal in the dramatic scenes is also convincing.

Yet ‘Catch and Release’ as a whole cannot prove itself. The film could certainly have been a lot shorter and it is too easy to talk about serious matters. In addition, there are a number of scenes in it, which will only provoke indignation on the part of the viewer (the scene with the ring, for example). On the positive side, however, is the chemistry between Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant. In their first kissing scene it really jumps off the screen and later in the film they also portray the attraction, however improbable, well. Add to that a sympathetic cast and some very nice dialogues (Fritz: I owe you an apology. Gray: Just one? Fritz: For ruining the funeral. Gray: Yeah, if it hadn’t been for you, that would ‘ve been one great day.) and you have a movie that you certainly won’t regret watching.