I like to have someone to root for,even in a romantic comedy. For the first half of this picture, I didn't have that. The woman was a player, the men were either obnoxious idiots, or disengaged losers, and there was little character development to most of them.That's why I clicked out of netflix at the halfway point. But I wound up giving it another chance the next day and watched the second half. OK, it redeemed itself. Just barely, but I'll give it some credit.I liked the concept: Four grown buddies who bond over rowing on the Delware River and find both love and themselves.Philadelphia looked absolutely great, if that's where it was actually filmed.There were some questionable morality issues, but they resolved themselves for the most part by the end.Sean Astin was his usual self. Not much of a stretch there. If you like his general routine, you will like him here. (Carefree, blue collar, slovenly, short guy) Gabrielle Anwar is about 7 years past her prime beauty era from Scent of a Woman and For Love or Money. Now she is also speaking in a British accent, which I think is her normal voice. (she played Americans in those other two films) In this film, she is at times wiry, and shows her age in terms of forehead wrinkles and some anguished facial expressions toward the end. Nevertheless, she is appealing, and you can understand why the guys like her.I liked the last scene very much. Without spoiling it, you see that the men have found their piece of the happiness pie.

The story is about four friends who all are very different from another, but end up falling for their rodding- coach Kimberly. After have sworn "never to date or have sex with Kimberly", they "all" go and do it, which ends up with the fact that Kimberly gets pregnant. They all react in pretty different ways, but the one guy who is certain the baby isn't his since he never "made love to her", makes the other guys take their responsibility and it ends with everybody getting really excited about the baby and think that just THEY are the daddy... This movie was sooo funny and had a fell-good feeling all the way trough. I LOVED IT. OKeeeeeeey, it isn't very likely that none of the guys demand a DNA-test, but that thing really didn't bother me at all! they are all nice men (except for maybe the one who cheated on his girlfriend)and they really care about Kimberly. So, please stop being so cynical and just accept the movie for what it really is, adorable.

On another level "Kimberly" explores the actual idea of simultaneous multiple partner relationships, and seeks to peek below some taboos. That's cool. But it doesn't go at all deep. It's all formulaic female wish fulfillment -- commit through competition, one full man out of four -- and no real dynamics or exploration of motivations, true drives, and what can work, and can't, for any period of time.Meanwhile the prevailing social climate is framed by the most virile, intelligent and attractive of the four guys announcing to the college class he is teaching that it is a new age, a new dawn between the sexes, with independent women, and dependent men. Interestingly, and tellingly, he turns out to not be "the one". Probably because he wouldn't work as the dependent. Not really. But he can announce and appear to submit to the principal.Ah yes. That's the chick's movie crowd pleasing, "original", "cleaver" theme of this shallow romantic farce.I'm all for looking underneath taboos and social norms, and finding out what's really there, or needs to be there. I'm all for accepting diversity; for letting people do their own thing.Just one question though. Would any of you care to name the American film of the last decade and a half or more, where a man is in a similar position -- with three or four different women at the same time? That is, where that is celebrated, as the reverse is here in "Kimberly", rather than reviled. All of whom came to know about each other, and remained or became fast friends, though not without rivalries for the top edge of affection from the irresistibly man. You know, where as in "Kimberly" he loves each of the two or three or four women really and truly for their different and unique personal qualities and looks, but doesn't want to give any of them up. And where the whole thing is treated as, if not for everyone, still intriguing, adorable, interesting, and heartwarming.I'll give you a clue. It doesn't exist. Not in the last fifteen years, anyway. Not remotely. On the other hand, films which sympathetically treat or rather celebrate women at the center of several men's competing and then co-existing love interests, well beyond the initial "courtship" or getting to know you stage, are becoming increasingly common. See e.g. "Splendor", released in the same year as Kimberly. It takes the same idea as Kimberly even further. It's also a considerably edgier movie, though still most definitely feminist correct -- or actually, even more so.This is despite the fact that everyone who knows anything (and isn't a blinkered ideologist) knows that two woman threesomes are a central male fantasy, not just in America but everywhere. (Actually, polygamy has been a reality and not just a fantasy in much of the world through most of history, for more wealthy or high status men.) Exploring how it could work in contemporary American post feminist culture is hardly old had -- it would be ground breaking. Yet where is it? It's the great feminist taboo.Oh, I can imagine that a two women, one man menage-a-trois set in contemporary American culture could hit the screens soon. But for it to be "avant" or "edgy", one or both women would have to have the clear balance of power -- as Kimberly in the film of that name, and Victoria in Spendor unequivocally do. How, when it's changed to a one man, two or more women situation? Simple, make both women not a little, but predominantly gay. Hey, that could take male emasculation in feminist dominated American media culture to a new level. The one in the center then becomes the bi woman, or both of them on an alternating basis, if neither are dyke, lesbo only types. Something like that does occur for a while in "Slaves of the Underground" (1997), before the lesbian draw wins out completely and the male is left all alone. But hey, he is admired for his lapdog affection for lesbian power.Anything but having one male in a predominately hetero loving and involved three or more way. THAT would be unthinkable. Shudder. In America that is. In Europe, especially France or Spain, it's a different story.

Well, ever since I read about the making of this movie all the way back in the fall of 1998, I've been anxiously awaiting to see this film on the big screen. Being a huge Patty Duke fan and someone who really respects the work of her son, Sean Astin, I couldn't wait to see it. The fact that it's filmed here in Philly helped me want to really see it too.When I got to meet Ms. Duke while she was filming her Patty Duke reunion tv movie up in Montreal in 12/98, I asked her about this film. She said it was an odd little film, that her son Sean was in. She just had a cameo in it, as the doctor who delivers the baby towards the end of the film, and if you blinked, you'd miss her. She also said that her son called her up begging her to do it because the person originally hired for the part had to bail out at the last minute and they were stuck, and had to shoot it in a few days. Before Sean could go any further, Patty said to him "Honey, now, let's get to the important part: what are they gonna be paying me?!"She said of her one day on the set that Sean, being the ever so protective son, made everyone stop cursing around the set. Patty then turned to Sean and asked "Does this mean I have to stop cursing too??".With a great cast including, Sean, Molly Ringwald, Chris Rydell, the ever so handsome Scott Lewis, and Gabrielle Anwar as the title charecter, you can't go wrong, even if it's only on a measly two million dollar budget. Let's just say that you can't tell while watching that it was so low budget.The only problem I had with it was that it was way too obvious to me who, out of the four men, the father was, since he was presented in a different way than the others a little later in the film.Laine Kazan is hysterical as Rydell's shrink and of course Patty Duke is brilliant in her 4 minute role as Doctor Feinstenberger (love that name!)All and all---a beatiful ensemble piece with great direction and an eloquent score!