I just watched this film and have to say it is one of the most endearing films I've seen in a long time. Think of it as "Mozart and the Whale" but more painful and more true life problems and neuroses, but also more heartwarming. Billy Crudup does a great job as the self-hating and world-hating pessimist in this movie. His wonderful portrayal of such an awful, yet complicated character, makes it all the more enjoyable to see him come around and finally warm up to someone. I've seen Mandy Moore in films before and thought shes always been a better actress then people give her credit for, and this film goes to show that. This is Justin Thoreaux's directorial debut and a wonderful one at that. The writing is superb and the directing and acting only lend to the wonderful script. Tom Wilkinson gives another wonderful performance as he always does. If you want to see a film that'll make you laugh despite hating the characters at times, but some how still miraculously fall in love with them and root for them, then this is definitely the movie for you. It isn't your usual romantic comedy, and putting it that genre is a stretch in itself, but it is one of the smartest and most warm hearted movies you'll see this year.

Gifted character actor, Justin Theroux, makes his directorial debut with the indie romantic comedy "Dedication". The film tells the story of a neurotic children's book author Henry Roth (Billy Crudrup) who is forced to work with a female illustrator (Mandy Moore) instead of his usual collaborator (Tom Wilkinson).

The highpoint of the film is undoubtedly the acting. Billy Crudrup ("Almost Famous") is fantastic as Henry, displaying all the quirks one would expect from such a character. His performance seemed like a mix of John C. McGinley on "Scrubs" and Timothy Olyphant from "The Girl Next Door". Mandy Moore is also very good, and manages to create a real character instead of a generic love-interest. This is easily her best acting performance to date. Tom Wilkinson shines as Henry's collaborator and only friend, though it must be noted that his performance is somewhat similar to his Oscar nominated performance in "Michael Clayton". Dianne Wiest, Martin Freeman and Bob Balaban are also delightful in smaller supporting roles.

The screenplay, on the other hand, is unfortunately the film's low point. The character's dialogue itself is fine (actually, it is very good). The problem of the script is the rather generic plot which too closely follows the boy-meet-girl blueprint for romantic comedies. The film's ending is something that would be expected more of a Hollywood studio romantic comedy rather than a quirky indie.

First time director Justin Theroux shows real promise here. While it is true that some of the transitions and editing between scenes are a bit too arty and self-conscious, other things, such as camera placement and shot composition are handled with all the skills of an experienced professional.

Annoyances aside, this is an easy film to recommend. Moore and Crudrup are infinitely watchable and Thereoux is good enough to deserve more directorial jobs. In the end, the collective talent in front of and behind the camera elevates the middling plot into a very enjoyable film.

When the character played by Tom Wilkinson dies of a heart attack, so does the movie almost in spite of the fact that his character still appears to Billy Crudup in his imagination, advising him how to move on with the project that they had created of a children's book involving a heroic beaver. With lots of money at stake due to the success of the book, his publisher forces cried out to deal with a new illustrator, the very dour Mandy Moore who if you try to count her smiles throughout the movie, you will have listed less than half of the fingers on your hands. She's dealing with possible eviction from an apartment she runs from her own mother, Dianne Wiest, nearly getting a loan from her, but all of a sudden finding the check ripped out of her hands and torn up. It's a far contrast of the other mother roles that Weist has played, and it's one of the few highlights of the film to see the antithesis of the cheery characters in "Parenthood" and "Edward Scissorhands" with this one, although the idea of tough love as the method of her character's mothering skills does incorporate some of the darker elements of those characters she played in the past.

We're forced to believe that a romance is going to grow between the very misogynistic Crudup and the incredibly pessimistic Moore who goes out of her way to bad mouth the creation he had started without her and everything else concerned with him. Certainly, he's not easy to get along with, but it seems like their efforts to challenge each other from the time they meet in a not so positive way would crush any creative chemistry between the two. The ping-pong like battle between these two is just not pleasant, and I wouldn't want to spend 5 minutes in a room with other one. The only scene that I genuinely laughed at involving Crudup was when he was doing a book signing with Wilkinson early in the film and responded to a very dour little girl in a way I least expected, basically annihilating her in front of her mother. The irksome script and troublesome lead characters makes for a truly unpleasant film that I would have walked out of had I gone to see this in a theater.