Blind Dating - a Movie Review

Blind Dating is a 2006 direct to video movie staring Chris Pine and Eddie Kay Thomas. Chris Pine stars as Danny, a twenty-two-year-old blind man who is unlucky with love. Eddie Kay Thomas stars as Danny's older brother Larry. The movie begins with Larry setting up Danny in a series of terrible blind dates. Danny finds love on his own with a receptionist but their relationship is complicated by cultural differences. Danny also has a chance to see with an experimental surgery.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie very much but the movie was not what I expected. The DVD box description gave me the impression that the movie was a comedy about all the misadventures Danny experiences on blind dates. I think Eddie Kay Thomas is a great comedic actor so I was looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble he would get Danny into. The blind dating scenes are such a small aspect of the movie, not more then ten minutes of the movie. I would categorize the movie more of a drama then a comedy.

Danny falls in love with an Indian girl, Leeza. Leeza loves Danny too but she is engaged to an Indian man. Leeza is torn between Danny and her fiancée but after a talk with her mom she breaks off her relationship with Danny. I liked the scene with Leeza's mom where Leeza tells her mom she is in love with another man. Her mother isn't forcing her into the marriage. Her mother basically asked her if she felt like she should keep her word or not. I find that scene very moving and it showcased the importance of keeping your word in the Indian cultural. If only more cultures would adopt that principle. Oops, sorry I stepped on my soapbox for a second. Anyway, Danny thinks Leeza broke up with him because he is blind but she eventually explains that she is Indian and they have too many cultural differences.

Danny goes through an experimental surgery that allows him to see fuzzy black and white images. The implant doesn't work out as planned. After a couple of painful headaches, the doctors decide to remove the implants as soon as they can. Danny over hears this and realizes he only has one opportunity to actually "see" Leeza. He barely makes it to her family's restaurant with the implant being more of a hindrance then a help. He turns off the implant and gives a moving speech on how he already knows what Leeza looks like, blah, blah, blah. They are reunited, the implant is removed, and the live happily ever after.

Overall I enjoyed the movie. I give the movie 3 out of 5 stars. The plot could have been a little more consistent. The director should have also been clearer on whether the movie is a comedy or a drama. Side note: My favorite part of the movie was picking out the actors that have appeared in Heroes episodes. I counted three.