Movie Reviews : ‘The Perfect Match:’ So Light It Floats Away

“The Perfect Match” (AMC Century City) is light romantic puffery that reminds us how wonderful a sparring combination Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn or Cary Grant and anyone else could be in the battle of the sexes. Unfortunately, actors Marc McClure and Jennifer Edwards don’t have a chance in this combat arena, which is not to demean their talent. They simply aren’t equipped with enough ammunition in the script to gain our sympathy in a war of the sexes.

There’s nothing here that ventures outside the emotional level of a sitcom, thus what’s on the screen evaporates as quickly as invisible ink disappears from the page.

Tim (McClure) toils at something so innocuous, he’s not even sure of his job description. His sole passions are playing one-on-one basketball and watching the pros on television. He’s unmotivated. So, when he steps out of character and follows a comely lass into her office, danger will surely follow.

Instead of making a date, he winds up lying about himself--his job, his interests, his passions--and the young woman takes it all down dutifully for her job selling personal ads. This leads to dinner with Nancy (Edwards), a professional student who works part time at a video shop. Encouraged by a friend, she too lies about herself, so the relationship is off to a good start.

Where “The Perfect Match” (MPAA-rated: PG) errs seriously is in its emphasis on set-pieces. The dates and the weekend trip to the mountains become the excuses for silly gags. There’s nothing organic about how their awkward first encounter evolves into something more substantive. All the recognizable human foibles have been replaced by Pavlovian responses. The final result is akin to reading a Harlequin romance in shorthand . . . and I don’t read shorthand.