Synopsis: A novelist with a gambling problem has thirty days to write his next blockbuster and collect the check. If he doesn't, the debt he owes a loan shark will be payed off with his own life. He hires a stenographer to transcribe the book as he creates it and in the process finds love. 

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Michelle Snow

Director: Rob Reiner

Cast: Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, Rob Reiner, David Paymer, Sophie Marceau, Chino XL and Lobo Sebastian

Alex & Emma is actually a movie with two separate stories intertwined. In the first, novelist Alex Sheldon [Wilson] is suffering from writer's block on his second book. He also owes a Miami loan shark large sums of money-money that he has been given thirty days to pay back or else. Unfortunately, he can't do that until he gets paid for delivering a finished manuscript to his publisher [Reiner].

Enter Emma Dinsmore [Hudson], a stenographer that Alex decides to hire. He reasons if she does all the typing, he'd be totally free to break through his writer's block and create a masterpiece. What he doesn't count on is that the very opinionated Emma will question every plot development he comes up with.

The novel itself provides the second focal point for the movie. As Alex and Emma bicker about the details, the two actors also portray the characters in the book. Set in early 1900's Cape Cod, Adam Shipley [Wilson] has been hired to tutor the children of French heiress Polina Delacroix [Marceau]. He falls in love with her, but faces stiff competition from her rich lawyer, John Shaw [Paymer]. Distraught, Adam finds a consoling ear in Polina's housekeeper [Hudson], who then falls in love with him. In scenes reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz, Adam's real life associations pop up throughout the novel as it races toward its conclusion.
With the dual plot lines continuously shifting between the book's double love triangles and the real life budding relationship, Alex & Emma tries to explore the many dynamics of romance. The problem I had with this romantic comedy is that I really didn't feel there was any spark between Wilson and Hudson in either setting. I'll admit the dialogue is witty and both actors give their all in every role they are called upon to do. But it's like watching wet charcoal in a grill. They may smoke and smolder but they never quite catch on fire. 

The movie also suffers from uneven editing. Several times during the novel scenes, I noticed the dialogue didn't quite match the movement of the actor's mouth. This is especially surprising, since the meticulous Rob Reiner directed this movie.
Reiner, Wilson and Hudson have all turned out amazing movies in the past. This makes it all a bit of a let down that the three together can only turn out an average movie like Alex & Emma.
5 out of 10