The Age of Commercialism

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Even casting aside memories of the infamous summer of 2005, (during which the Internet Movie Database's Film General message board was overrun for months by the director's friends relentlessly hawking this documentary - and getting extremely unpleasant when challenged about their behaviour, trolling the board - in a monumentally misguided attempt at viral marketing that ensured everyone who encountered them waited for it to arrive on television rather than pay to see it) this film is impossible to like.Much of that stems from the unlikable Brian Herzlinger, a man with no personality to speak of. He's a poor enough actor to betray the fact that at times he's clearly reading scripted material or improvising imaginary see-I-got-you-back phone conversations with an ex girlfriend who cheated on him. And that's not even his most pathetic moment.Every attempt is made to enliven the concept but because it simply doesn't lend itself to a feature length film these attempts are doomed to failure, even if they weren't so hopelessly amateurish and inappropriate. They frequently employ six degrees of separation graphics as if they expect the audience to care that some guy's friend is a friend of some other guy's agent who knows someone who once worked with Barrymore. This kind of information is often presented in dramatic freeze frames as if to underline how important it is.Presumably resulting from a dearth of imagination and creativity we're left with seemingly never-ending footage of Herzlinger approaching teenage girls outside malls and telling them what the film's about. "Oh, cool" they respond unenthusiastically - and this footage made the final cut! Next we see him unsuccessfully stopping people in the street and asking them to take part in "A survey about Drew Barrymore." It continues like this until the final scene, which I won't spoil. Things get mildly interesting (and decidedly awkward) for a few minutes and then - thankfully - it's over.

"My Date With Drew" accomplishes what any movie wants to. It evokes genuine emotions. I identified with Brian's quest. Who didn't have a crush on a beautiful Hollywood celebrity at some point in their life? The difference is that most people see it as a pipe dream and Brian saw it as a challenge, an opportunity to make a dream into a reality. And he's a very likable and charismatic guy. So I was really rooting for him. The feel of the film is very real. I get that these people are just going through their options as they think of them and then exploring them on video. It's funny. It's sweet. And it has plenty of moments where I found myself truly engaged into Brian's process. Feeling his pain. His elation. And when he finally gets the call from Nancy that Drew wants to have the date, and I saw the look in his eyes, I was right there with him. Full of gratitude. Happy to be alive. Life is about moments like this. Moments when something you work for and want more than anything actually happens. And when Brian actually has his date with Drew and you see how sweet, charming, appreciative and charismatic she is, the themes of the movie are personified perfectly within her. This is who she is. This is who Brian is. They were destined to meet. It was kismet. For his life. For his career. And even for hers. "My Date With Drew" shows us that the power and perseverance of the human spirit will triumph over all the odds. Watch this film with people you care about. When it's over, you'll care about them even more. For me, this film is ultimately about gratitude. Drew was grateful of Brain. Brain was grateful of Drew. And when you see the behind the scenes footage of the film, you really get that everyone involved was grateful for everyone who shared the dream and stood by it. Always go after your dreams! And if you really want to share it with others... be bold enough to get it on videotape. :)

I have just watched twenty minutes of "My Date with Drew" and I was initially irritated with the DVD released by "First Look" distributor, which wrongly indicates the availability of "closed caption" (cc) on the cover of the R1 DVD, which is not captioned, has only subtitles in Spanish. The shameful self-promotion of the author using the name and a poster of Drew Barrymore on the cover to attract naive viewers that expect to see a romantic comedy with Drew Barrymore is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen on DVD. However, the intention of the author was achieved and his "documentary" was distributed, inclusive I was misled and bought it. After twenty minutes, I really gave up watching it since I really could not believe it could improve. I love independent movie, but not this type of cheap opportunism. I used the forward button and I was surprised with the generosity of the magnificent Drew Barrymore, participating in this farce. My vote is one (awful).Title (Brazil): "Meu Encontro Com Drew Barrymore" ("My Date With Drew Barrymore")

This was really a funny film and a salute to those who persist in their dreams. They can come true if you just keep at it.Brian Herzlinger, an aspiring filmmaker, and his pals Jon Gunn and Brett Winn put together this documentary using $1100 bucks he won on a game show. Its a good first effort, and was an enjoyable film, especially the actual date. We got to see a side of Drew Barrymore that we would not normally see, and it was worth the effort.Remember that great line from Notting Hill: "After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." I am so reminded of that when I see Drew Barrymore in her natural state in this film. What a girl!