It seems that ‘cougars’ are now the hottest fashion – if you’re an older single woman, flaunt what you’ve got and the young boys will come running. While for the majority it’s a ‘score’ of sorts (women landing the younger man and the man landing a woman who’s, shall we say, experienced), when family gets involved drama ensues. And that’s the premise of The Rebound, where age difference may not be the overriding focus but the most underlying one.

We haven’t seen Catherine Zeta-Jones around for the past couple of years, but she returns to the screen as 40-year-old Sandy, who after leaving her husband takes her kids away from the safety of New York suburbia and into the big city. She hires Aram (Justin Bartha) as a nanny while she pursues a career and their friendship develops into something more very quickly. This is much to everyone’s surprise, not least because of the obvious age difference. What immediately hits with The Rebound though is the sassiness of Sandy’s kids. Sadie (Eliza Callahan) and Frank Jr. (Andrew and Jake Cherry) are completely aware of what’s going on between the adults and aren’t afraid to ask questions or propose suggestions. It’s Sandy and Aram that are awkward about it, and that translates onto the screen in a pretty straightforward manner (although not always effective). As the friendship becomes less platonic it’s not just Sandy’s kids the couple about, but public and family reaction.

There are some truly awkward moments as Sandy finds her feet in the Big Apple, the best courtesy of a horrible date (with a great cameo by former Smallville star John Schneider). Friends of both Sandy and Aram give them respective stick, but all of the nasty jokes and sexual innuendo don’t make the story any richer and it fails to cross the boundaries from drama to comedy. It doesn’t know what it is; the comedy isn’t constantly around but it’s hardly a tearjerker. Perhaps it’s because the story itself is a cutesy but basic one, where boy and girl meet, fall in love, deal with issues and ends with… ok, we won’t give that away. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, making it seem slightly tedious as you wait for the pending problem to rise to the surface.

Triple billed (director/writer/producer) Bart Freundlich uses the quintessential New York setting to little effect, and while that’s been done before it wouldn’t have hurt to see some nice establishing landmarks. In that sense though, The Rebound is largely character-driven, which is more than a lot of other romantic films can vouch for. Catherine Zeta-Jones is ever classy and dominant as control freak Sandy, while Justin Bartha rolls wise-guy and romantic into one with Aram, showing off more acting chops than in breakthrough film The Hangover. Callahan and the Cherry twins are charming and wholly entertaining as Sadie and Frank Jr., knowing too much popular culture slang for their own good and bringing much needed life into what otherwise would be a very dull film. The combination with Bartha works a treat, and the central cast make for a strong ensemble. However, for all of this the film doesn’t scream ‘classic’. While there’s an interesting (and not too cheesy) ending, it lacks any real fantasy Hollywood romance – and that’s what often makes a film of this sort rise above the rest.

Verdict:

The Rebound lives up to its name: it’s a welcome relief from the stresses of life, but not everlasting and eventually just a memory.

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