After watching a few romantic comedies you might come to the opinion that this particular genre is a piece of cake to create. After all they tend to be silly and light; typically devoid of any real message to relay to the audience. The thing is this is one of the more difficult genres for a young film maker to master. It takes precision to get all the required elements of this type of film to meld seamlessly. The script has to be quick witted and humorous while the acting has to be sharp perfectly timed. This may be the reason why there are so many really bad romantic comedies around. A new writer and director may feel this is a easy way to get started. More times than not they just create a foolish flick that is like gossamer; nice to look at but no substance at all. With subsequent tries some of these people may eventually get it right. Thankfully, there are some that hit the mark on their first try. One such film is ‘Love and Mary’ by Houston based writer/director Elizabeth Harrison. She has made a film that is a sheer delight to watch. It is not deep and it does have some moments that tend towards the slapstick but underneath it all is a movie with a great deal of heart. I have always loved independent films and a movie like this reminds me why. Lately there has been a lot of Indies submitted for review. I feel like a prospector in the old gold rush days; setting there panning the waters dumping one pan after another of worthless rocks. Then, a bright tinge is seen in the pan and a little piece of pure gold is found. This is what this film is; a rare and wonderful change from a pack of common place movies. Now there is a chance for this film to find a wider audience thanks to MTI Home Video.

This is the freshman feature film for Elizabeth Harrison. Like many film makers in the Indy world she wrote, directed and produced this movie. It is obvious by the attention to detail that this project was a true labor of love for her. She takes a simple story whose plot points have been seem numerous times before and combines them in such a way that they come across as fresh. It is only fitting that the central character here is a pastry chef. This genre is like a desert. It is supposed to be fluffy and sweet bringing a smile to the face of the consumer. Harrison’s story is just like that. We recognize the basic ingredients but are amazed and the novel presentation. She sets the story in a location that she is familiar with; her home town of Houston, Texas. This may also seem hackney but it is best when a screenwriter uses a place they know best. This is much like John Waters and Baltimore; he knows the city so well it became a character in all of his films. Harrison does something similar here. Huston is not seen in the usual way as a Texan or even southern city. It is a place that Harrison and her lead character simply call home. This lends itself to a nice little secondary theme for the story. The titular Mary, wonderfully played by Lauren German, is trying to make it on her own. She starts a pastry business but things don’t work out as well had she had hoped. This forces her into a dilemma. She can go home and accept some money from a family member but that is also seen as a sign she has failed. This is not uncommon with a lot of people. We work all or lives to move away only to find we still need our family. This brings an undercurrent of pathos to the film that makes it heart warming. There is still the main plot of Mary having to take her fiancés’ twin brother to replace him do to a bad case of allergies. Twins always seem good for a laugh especially in a romantic comedy. Naturally, you have to make sure the twins are completely identical which cuts down on the expenses since on actor can play both parts. From a script perspective you also need to instill them with not only different personalities but mutually exclusive ones. This also sets up a sub plot with the possibility that the leading lady may not be with the right twin after all. See, there is a lot more to this genre than most people think.

As a first time director Harrison does a remarkable job. She has an innate command of the genre and instinctively knows how to present this type of movie to her audience. The pacing is great. She starts off with the necessary basic character introduction and general exposition. One the pieces are set up Harrison begins to advance the plot. She is not slow about this but Harrison does take her time to allow the audience to become familiar to the characters and situations. There are some ancillary characters that are exceptional. They are not the expected stereotypes of the south we have come to expect. Instead Harrison populates the film the kind of quirky friends and family we all have in our own lives. Some of the traits may be exaggerated for effect but you will recognize almost every one of them. The beautiful setting of Houston gives the film a great look. It feels like being home again even if you grew up somewhere else.

The film opens with shots of some of the delectable treats that Mary produces in her bakery. There are cakes piled high with frosting, chocolate éclairs and beautiful fruit tarts. She is in her mid twenties and although Mary can create such wonderful deserts she has a large clumsy streak in her. Business has not been great. She has counters full of pastries and treats but only one customer. Mary grabs a copy of ‘the Weekly’ anxious to read their review of her place. It is lackluster and not the rave she was hoping for. Mary’s best friend who also works for her is Kiki (Mary Bonner Baker) who also has a habit of dropping the goods on the floor. A man comes into the shop, Mr. Giovanni (E.J. Nolan), who is, to put it lightly, a pig. He comes in singing, sniffing his arm pits before hitting on Kiki. On the bright side Mary loves her fiancé Brent Baker (Gabriel Mann) who is a chemistry teacher for the local middle school. Just as it looks like Mary may have to give up on her dream hope arises. Her grandfather Pappy (Tommy Townsend) has been saving up for an engagement present. The money could help Mary keep from getting evicted and make a go of her bakery. Unfortunately Pappy wants to meet the perspective groom. That would be no big deal except Brent has a bad case of allergies and can’t make the trip. Mary has only one thing as recourse; she bails his twin brother Jake (also Mann) out from jail to stand in for the ailing Brent.

This is just a good old fashion fun movie. There is nothing really that special about it except for how well it works. The plot is familiar, the characters have been seen before but there is just something about that way this film comes across that made me enjoy it more than I have in a long while. MTI Home Video has always brought little Indy gems like this into your home. This is another case where they scored a direct hit.