'All About Steve' review

Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper (Credit: Suzanne Tenner/20th Century Fox)

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Crossword writer Mary (Sandra Bullock, hot off mediocre hit "The Proposal") is beautiful. She's also so overflowing with knowledge that she never stops talking, causing Steve (Bradley Cooper, hot off "The Hangover" and getting duller by the movie) to bail from their blind date. Mary's solution? Follow Steve around the country until he admits he wants to be with her.

The buzz: It's never clear how we're expected to believe a small Sacramento paper can afford to employ a full-time "cruciverbalist." Or, more importantly, why we shouldn't wonder if Mary's repetitive, erratic behavior, misreading of social cues, extreme fixation on her red boots or choice of words (sample lines include "Thanks for not raping me" and "Little deaf girl, it's time for us to go home") are indicators of an undiagnosed disability (perhaps on the Autism spectrum). Writer Kim Barker ("License to Wed") doesn't acknowledge that, though, so, bring on the laughs!

The verdict: This idiotic, frustrating and offensive movie makes Mary a hero for refusing to conform—she's not a stalker, she's an independent spirit!—while simultaneously looking down on her as a creepy nuisance. Mary's not really daring to be quirky, she's just incapable of recognizing what is and isn't socially acceptable. Any comedy that falls back on a woman talking to her hamster or the plight of hearing-impaired children in a mineshaft isn't just grasping at straws, it's throwing in the towel.

Did you know? Mary claims doing a crossword is "the most spectacular fun a person can have without passing out." Exactly how many fun activities require you to lose consciousness?

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