‘WATERMELON’: A QUIRKY AND SO-SO INDIE ROMANCE
With a decent cast and a title that is almost guaranteed to catch your eye, I finally watched this 2003 indie dramedy. watermelon
Watermelon (2003) Film Review
Getting her diploma means it’s time for the somewhat wild Claire Ryan (Anna Friel) to get out of her small Irish home town. She does this by tricking her boyfriend into thinking she has a big city job in London. In reality all she has is a job interview. Of course, in the aftermath, he’s more than a little angry and without so much as a goodbye, Adam leaves Claire just where she wants to be: in the city.
Coinciding with his leaving, Claire quite literally runs into James (Jamie Draven), a man who works at the company she just interviewed for. James is attracted to Claire and in their ensuing conversation he becomes more curious about her and her quirky personality. They wind up spending the night together and enter a whirlwind romance. Shortly after, Claire discovers something that complicates things more than just a little bit.
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🍉🍀‘WATERMELON’: A QUIRKY AND SO-SO INDIE ROMANCE🍀🍉 REVIEW OF THE 2003 ANNA FRIEL DRAMA. #DRAMA #IRISH #IRELAND #ROMANCE #MOVIES #INDIEDRAMA #FREEVEE Share on XThis is one of those movies that I see while scrolling streamers and finally, I end up watching. Who am I to snub the movies on the “free” side of streaming? Watermelon may boast a pretty impressive cast, but it does lack in some things. This is where I find the most fault with the film and I’m very sorry for it as well as us, the viewer. This is one of those movies that I think could be all kinds of heart-warming. It has the potential and ideals to be sweet and swoony, but it tends to squander them. There’s one other thing that I wish were more important, but I won’t say for spoiler reasons.
Another thing I think I agree with other Amazon reviewers on is that Claire doesn’t seem to really learn anything. She fabricates things about her life and I’d have liked to see her grow and change, and yes, learn. This makes for a good character story, which lags because of Claire. There’s also some confusion as to Claire’s marital status. The film doesn’t seem to suggest she’s married but the brief synopsis does. Also appreciate that Claire’s dad calls her out on her stupidity.
That said, again, while this film (based on a novel by Marian Keyes) squanders its potential, I do find it oddly charming. The script takes more of an interactive approach as Claire speaks to us (in the camera frame) from time to time. Watermelon isn’t the best I’ve seen, but it’s also got this untapped sweetness that’s hard to resist.
Photos: ITV / Blackwater Films
QUICK FACTS:
RATING: 3 out of 5
CAST: Anna Friel
RATING: Unrated / PG-13
CONTENT: there’s upper female nudity twice. Both times the woman is in the bath tub, once alone and then she is joined by a boyfriend in another scene (he is shirtless but still has pants on). There’s some profanity though mostly it’s Irish or British slang. I’m not sure what the film’s official rating is, but it’s a solid PG-13 if not “R” just because of the nudity.
