The way we recognise and deal with events in our lives often comes in the form of correlation. If we can relate an event to something from our past, or use the most relevant expression then we often have the ability to deal with things effectively. You would expect this film to have some form of preaching in terms of the consequences of creating mistakes, with the premise that looks aren’t everything. And Hollywood seems to have a thing for films with writers or reporters unlucky in love. However, All About Steve’s presentation takes a different turn with a slightly impulsive way of viewing life.

Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock) is an oddity – crossword creator for newspaper Sacramento Herald, she sees every day as an opportunity to express her love for words and how they impact on people. Her unique perceptions and desperation for affection are too much to handle for Steve (Bradley Cooper) who vaguely suggests she accompany him on the road with his work as a TV cameraman as a nice way of saying ‘Get out of my truck’. Mary takes these words to heart as she pursues him across different states in her persistence, and this can be taken as either incredibly stupid for not understanding the hints or incredibly smart for holding him to words he should’ve either meant or not said. The power of words is emphasised heavily throughout the film both to express Mary’s thoughts and point out that people should mean what they say. Or that being gullible lands you between a rock and a hard place. Depends on how cynical you are.

This may all sound deep and meaningful, but the message is placed in a fairly extreme context. As Mary follows Steve across America, reporter Hartman Hughes (Thomas Haden Church) eggs her on and she finds herself in places she would normally never know. It initially plays out as a comedy but almost turns into a sympathy trip as Mary doubts the effect of her persistence. The moments where Mary pops up are emphasised comically and you can’t help but chuckle, yet the light moments wane in favour of a more serious reflection on people’s behaviour. This creates a slight paradox because you don’t know how to react to the film at times, but it’s always clear on its intention to be a fairly feel-good film. In that sense it’s a nice difference to many of the comedies that have come our way this year that have primarily focused on the crude side of relationships. While any comedy with a man and woman at the centre will have some form of sexual innuendo, in All About Steve it’s playful and minimal.

It’s one of those films where you’ll shake your head thinking ‘Why did they just do that?’ (which in reality is why films should only be taken as what’s on screen and nothing more), but it holds well enough within a loose, wandering plot. While Sandra Bullock is the type of actress many either love or absolutely loathe, as Mary she creates a diversely emotional character. And although she jumps erratically between being smart and incredibly goofy it can’t be denied she has great hair. And great red boots apparently. Thomas Haden Church is also fun to watch as the reporter always aiming for the competitive edge and often coming off second best. The film is enjoyable because it’s fun but also, dare I say it, poignant. It doesn’t shy away from a typical Hollywood story but leaves you to think about the good and bad things that come from what we say. As Mary expresses:

“There are meaningful words, there are pointless words and then there are words that just hurt.”

Verdict:

All About Steve is survivable. You’ll never see such passion for a crossword anywhere else.

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