By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
February 25, 2008
A romantic comedy disguised as an American Pie-type sex romp, Blind Dating tells the story of a sweet young blind man who falls for a woman who is engaged to be married.
Hottie Chris Pine plays Danny, who has never had a serious girlfriend. His annoying but well-meaning brother Larry (Eddie Kaye Thomas, American Pie) is intent on helping Danny lose his virginity by hooking him up with several inappropriate women.
Then there’s Dr. Evans (Jane Seymour), Danny’s unorthodox therapist who has the odd habit of undressing as he talks about his dates. Though the scenes are played for laughs, there’s something inherently creepy about them since Dr. Evans clearly needs to take a class on boundaries.
Blind Dating has an uneven feel because it’s trying to be too many things at the same time. It would’ve fared better had it concentrated less on Larry’s shenanigans and more on the budding romance between Danny and Leeza (Anjali Jay), the receptionist at Danny’s eye doctor’s office.
Because one of the central characters is blind, and another works for an optometrist, it is giving nothing away to say that part of the plot involves a surgical procedure that could potentially restore Danny’s eyesight.
It would’ve been nice to learn more about Leeza’s Indian background; the film implies that the marriage her parents have arranged for her is a bad one (and it probably is). But it would’ve been interesting to see the family presented as more than caricatures.
While not a great film, Blind Dating has some sweet moments, courtesy of Pine and Jay.
