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Nonetheless, Catch and Release has at least two laugh-out-loud moments, one decent plot surprise, and a romance that mostly makes up for its questionable timing with the winsomeness of its participants. It insists on an optimism about people—their ability to grow and change, and to bear a certain nobility even when deeply flawed—that is kind of refreshing. Even if it doesn't always make sense, it leaves you feeling pretty good.

Talk About It

1. When one relationship ends—whether by break-up or by death—what is a wise amount of time to wait before beginning another one? Is it possible to avoid a rebound relationship?
2. If Grady and Gray had been married, do you think they could have had a good marriage if Grady had never disclosed his secrets? How about if he had? Is there ever a place for secrecy in marriage?
3. Fritz turns out to have a different level of character and integrity than Gray thought, as does Grady. Is it possible for people to ever really know each other?
4. God says that while man looks on the outside, he looks on the heart. (1 Sam. 16:7). How do you think others' impressions of you compare to what God sees? How does your own perception of yourself compare to what God sees?

The Family Corner

Catch and Release is rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some drug use. Sex is implied in several scenes and somewhat explicit in two. A character puts an unlit joint in his mouth in one scene, another character overdoses on prescription medication, and there is repeated abuse of alcohol. The movie is definitely unsuitable for children and caution is recommended with teens.

Photos © Copyright Columbia Pictures

© Carolyn Arends subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

Catch and Release stars Jennifer Garner as a woman who discovers that her recently-deceased fiancé was keeping some pretty big secrets from her—so she rebounds by sleeping with one of his promiscuous best friends while hanging out with a couple of his other buddies. The ensuing "romantic comedy" is neither very romantic nor very comic (apart from Kevin Smith's supporting role as one of the buddies); perhaps "romantic dramedy" would be a better word?

Carolyn Arends (Christianity Today Movies) likes the performances but finds the movie a mixed bag, partly due to the fact that director Susannah Grant, the Oscar-nominated writer of Erin Brockovich and In Her Shoes, is still finding her feet as a director (this is her first movie behind the camera). Arends writes: "There are several false endings, robbing the final acts of their emotional payoff. And, like so many other Hollywood films, physical intimacy is used as shorthand for emotional intimacy, over-simplifying relationships and complicating ethics. Perhaps this is an accurate reflection of the way sex is used in many real-world relationships, but it would be nice to see a portrayal of love developed another way."

Bob Hoose (Plugged In) looks back to an earlier era, in which movies showed how people overcame problems by developing strength of character, and then contrasts that with this film, in which people sleep around and nobody really minds because, well, nobody wants to judge. "That narrow, narcissistic point of view," he writes, "is what tends to muddy up Ms. Grant's inconspicuous little movie that tries to be about love and loss and love again. … [O]n The O.C. it would make perfect sense to happily and gratefully bounce from a cheating guy to a promiscuous one. But in real life, all Gray would be asking for is more pain."

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