Amy Adams plays a woman who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on leap day, and Matthew Goode plays the surly man who drives her there instead. That is the setup for “Leap Year,” a 2010 romantic comedy directed by Anand Tucker and written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. The film follows Anna Brady as she tries to reach Dublin, where her boyfriend Jeremy is attending a cardiology conference. Instead, a storm forces her to land in Cardiff, Wales, and she hires a boat to cross the Irish Sea to Ireland. She ends up in the small seaside village of Dingle, where she offers to pay Declan O’Callaghan, who runs the local pub, €500 to drive her to Dublin. Declan agrees because his pub is threatened with foreclosure.
The premise is simple. The execution is not.
Trailer, via Volta Pictures.
Anna’s Plan and the Storm
Anna Brady is a Boston real estate stager who has been with Jeremy for four years. She is frustrated that he has never proposed, even though they are about to move into an upscale apartment together. She knows about an Irish tradition called Bachelor’s Day, which allows women to propose to men on February 29. She decides to travel to Dublin to do exactly that.
The plan falls apart immediately. Her plane is diverted to Cardiff, Wales, because of a storm. She hires a boat to take her across the Irish Sea, but the storm puts her ashore in Dingle instead of Dublin. She meets Declan, who runs the local pub, and offers him €500 to drive her to Dublin. He refuses at first, then agrees when he learns his pub is threatened with foreclosure.
Declan mocks the whole idea of Bachelor’s Day. He thinks it is a joke. Anna persists anyway. The film sets up a conflict between a woman who wants a wedding and a man who seems to want nothing more than the money in his hand.
The Road From Dingle to Dublin
Anna and Declan set out in Declan’s car. The journey is full of mishaps. Cows block the road, and Anna steps in a cow pat while trying to shoo them away. She leans on the car to clean her shoes, causing it to roll downhill into a stream. They continue on foot, until a van with three travelers stops and offers a lift. Anna hands them her suitcase first, ignoring Declan’s warning. Before she can get in, they drive off without her.
The scene is meant to be funny. It is not. Anna loses her bag, and Declan has to fight the travelers to retrieve it. They make their way to a train station, where they visit the adjacent Ballycarbery Castle on foot. They talk about what they would grab if their homes were on fire and they had only 60 seconds to leave. Absorbed in conversation, they miss the train and have to spend the night at a bed and breakfast in Tipperary.
They pretend to be married so their conservative hosts will let them share the room. The film wants this to feel romantic. It does not. The hosts are not amused. Anna and Declan are not amused either. They are tired, wet, and hungry.
Dublin’s Twist
Anna finally reaches Dublin, but she is not in time to propose to Jeremy. She finds him with Libby. Anna is shocked. Jeremy’s reaction is not described in the source material.
The film’s central tension is a lie. Anna has been traveling to Ireland to ask Jeremy to marry her. She does not actually want to marry Declan. Declan does not actually want to marry Anna. The romance is supposed to blossom between them on the road. It does not.
The film spends most of its runtime establishing the distance between Anna and Declan. They argue about directions, about the weather, about the meaning of Bachelor’s Day. Declan is surly and closed off. Anna is persistent and hopeful. The script wants these traits to become chemistry. They become annoyance.
What Critics Said
“Leap Year” premiered in New York City on January 6, 2010, and was released theatrically on January 8, 2010, by Universal Pictures in the United States. In Ireland, it was released on February 28 by Optimum Releasing. The film grossed $32.7 million against its $19 million production budget.
Critics were not kind. The film received mostly unfavorable reviews from critics.
Filming Across Ireland
Principal photography took place in County Wicklow, Dublin, County Mayo, and County Galway, including the Aran Islands, Connemara, Temple Bar, Georgian Dublin, Wicklow National Park, and Olaf Street, Waterford. The locations are beautiful. The film shows off Ireland as a destination.
But a beautiful location is not a story. The film’s settings are used as scenery, not as character. Anna walks through Ballycarbery Castle, but the castle tells us nothing about her. She visits Temple Bar, but the bar tells us nothing about her. The film is content to show Ireland without showing why it matters to Anna.
The Supporting Cast
The supporting cast includes John Lithgow as Jack Brady, Anna’s father; Noel O’Donovan as Seamus; Tony Rohr as Frank; Pat Laffan as Donal; Alan Devlin as Joe; Ian McElhinney as Priest; Dominique McElligott as Bride; Mark O’Regan as Captain; and Maggie McCarthy as Eileen. There is also Vincenzo Nicoli as Stefano, Flaminia Cinque as Carla, and Peter O’Meara as Ron.
None of these actors gets a chance to shine. They are bit parts in a story that belongs to Anna and Declan. The film is so focused on getting Anna to Dublin that it forgets to give these characters anything to do. They exist to fill out the background, not to advance the plot.
The Bed and Breakfast Scene
The bed and breakfast scene is a low point. Anna and Declan pretend to be married so they can share a room. The hosts are not amused. Anna and Declan are not amused either. They are tired, wet, and hungry.
The scene is meant to be romantic. It is not. It is a moment of exhaustion dressed up as chemistry. The film has spent the previous hour establishing that Anna and Declan do not get along. Then it asks us to believe they are falling in love. We cannot.
The Dublin Resolution
Anna finds Jeremy in Dublin, but she is too late. The film wants this to be a betrayal. It is not. The proposal is not the point. The point is that Anna traveled halfway across Europe to ask a man who does not want to be asked.
The film ends with Anna and Declan together. They walk away from the camera. The screen goes black. The audience is meant to feel happy. The audience does not.
Final Word
“Leap Year” is a failure of ambition. It has a good premise: a woman travels to propose on leap day. It has a good cast: Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. It has a good setting: Ireland. None of that is enough. The film cannot decide what it wants to be. It is not a romantic comedy. It is not a road movie. It is not a drama about commitment. It is a film about a woman who travels to Ireland and finds the wrong man.
The film is a disappointment. It wastes a premise, a cast, and a country. It is a film that could have been good. It is a film that chose not to be.
| Release Date | Region | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| January 6, 2010 | New York City premiere | — |
| January 8, 2010 | United States | Universal Pictures |
| February 28 | Ireland | Optimum Releasing |
| Location | Country |
|---|---|
| County Wicklow | Ireland |
| Dublin | Ireland |
| County Mayo | Ireland |
| County Galway | Ireland |
| Aran Islands | Ireland |
| Connemara | Ireland |
| Temple Bar | Ireland |
| Georgian Dublin | Ireland |
| Wicklow National Park | Ireland |
| Olaf Street | Ireland |
| Waterford | Ireland |
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