dir: Peyton Reed

2003 // 1 hr 40 min // Digital Projection

Before LALA LAND, before BARBIE, the director of BRING IT ON and the 90s straight-to-TV remake of THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES cashed in all his chips to make one of the most self-aware, campy romcoms of the modern era that maybe 5 people saw. Aspiring writer Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger) arrives in New York to promote her new book, Down with Love, advocating for women to enjoy sex without commitment and freedom from men. But when men's magazine writer Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor) decides to prove her wrong, the two engage in a battle of wits, assumed identities, and AUSTIN POWERS-esque visual gags to hilarious results. Beautifully shot and costumed in the style of early 60s romantic comedies, Peyton Reed uses anachronistic sexual politics to comment on modern romance and snide skewering of romcom tropes.

Also, did we mention Sarah Paulson and David Hyde Pierce are in this?

High-Brow/Low-Brow/Uni-Brow is a film series programmed by Andrew Linn dedicated to exploring films from every corner of taste and seeing what they have to say with each other