okay , bear with me y'all , cause first off i have to get this off my chest : what the hell is up with that damn crab ? ? ? whew . okay . cause that same clip shown over and over again <NEG> was beginning to get on my nerves </NEG> towards the end , as cute as the crab maybe . even i know that you need more footage than * that * . and <NEG> that wasn't the only thing getting on my nerves </NEG> . the cutesy gimmicks , saccharine sweet score / soundtrack and the pretty young faces of sarah michelle gellar ( as amanda ) and sean patrick flannery ( as tom ) might have held some appeal during , oh , say the first 10 minutes of the movie . at first the movie moves along at a quick , interesting pace . it is speedily established that something magical is about to happen to amanda when she encounters a totally random fairy godfather type person on the street , whose aforementioned crab follows her everywhere and just * doesn't * die . <NEG> a ridiculous concept </NEG> , yes , but at this point i'm willing to accept it because i'm willing to accept that this is how amanda's life is changed , how her powers are received . later on , the movie can't seem to decide whether these powers come from this fairy godfather or from amanda falling in with tom . and this is why the clips of the crab <NEG> were annoying ; they weren't just repetitive , they were out of place and unnecessary </NEG> . the plot stumbles along at an uneven speed , sometimes <NEG> dwelling too long </NEG> on a particular development ( amanda suddenly becoming a great chef , her falling in love with tom , etc . ) , sometimes <NEG> moving on too quickly for its own good </NEG> . some places the plot just doesn't make sense , sometimes it's <NEG> way too contrived </NEG> ( the crab bit , for example ) , and sometimes <NEG> too corny </NEG> ( peaches emitting dry ice . can't beat that ) . <NEG> all in all the plot seemed fragmented , unconnected . not romantic at all , and only funny in some places </NEG> . so , okay , do the magic powers come from the crab ? or the fairy godfather ? she can * float * now too ? and all of a sudden , instead of just making dry ice come out of peaches , she can put her emotions into her food ? tom all of a sudden just accepts amanda's " witchcraft " in the end ? would people really dine in a restaurant that resembles life after death in tupac's video ? <NEG> what the hell is up with that damn crab ? </NEG> it is unfortunate , because i liked the basic premise of the movie , until <NEG> it became too fantastical and tiresome </NEG> . the film seemed to skirt around a serious theme or at least * a * theme for a while , but towards the end it resolved to show us long flashback clips and 5 minutes of people crying at their tables . the humor was good in some places ( nolan gets the funniest bits , including that incomprehensible , totally random thing with the dolls ) . gellar and flannery are qualified actors , and gellar has a particular charm , but i much prefer her playing the saucy buffy ( or even annette in the upcoming " cruel intentions " ) than <NEG> this sorry excuse for a character </NEG> . it's almost funny sometimes to see these two trying so hard to make the dialogue sound better than it is , or trying to make the relationship seem more plausible . the supporting character nolan was a highlight , though he reminded me a bit of kevin in " you've got mail " ( see footnotes ) . and , as always , typical of a chick flick / romantic comedy , there's a seemingly endless romantic soundtrack in the background , cued up at all the right places . <NEG> this sort of got on the nerves </NEG> after a while , too . " simply irresistible " is not hard to understand , light , funny in some places , and <NEG> generally disappointing </NEG> because it can't draw the line between romance and <NEG> protracted sap </NEG> , between humor and <NEG> tired slapstick </NEG> . and how could i refrain from making a pun ? . . . " simply irresistible " is all too easy to resist . ( first viewing , 2/6/99 ) * did anyone else think this was a tad bit similar to " you've got mail " ( or " the shop around the corner " ) ? business rivals fall in love . female counterpart's business is in danger of being shut down . female as mother- like figure guiding her . the annoying , hysterical ex-girlfriends . * i _really_ like sarah michelle gellar's wardrobe .
