Sweet November (2001) - Pat O'Connor

This romantic melodrama reunites The Devil's Advocate (1997) co-stars Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, and is directed by Irish filmmaker Pat O'Connor (Circle of Friends). Sara Deever (Theron) is a beautiful young woman who begins a new romantic relationship with a man each month, then helps him to evolve into a better and kinder human being before she moves on to the next partner. Although she's remained friendly with some of her former lovers, she's never broken her one-month rule. November's candidate is a particularly heartless business exec named Nelson Moss (Reeves), who takes a while to come around. Once he does, however, Nelson falls deeply in love, hoping to woo Sara for good; eventually, her resolve weakens. What Nelson doesn't know is the tragic secret behind the brevity of Sara's romances. A remake of a 1968 Sandy Dennis film by the same name, this contemporary version of Sweet November is less comedic and emphasizes more of its story's tearjerker qualities than the original. (allmovie.com by Karl Williams)

Review:
A remake of a Sandy Dennis love story from 1968, Sweet November is a treacle-filled tearjerker sabotaged by one poorly thought out character, one bad performance, and the intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying decision to excise the entire third act. Granite-faced and solemn with an overlying patina of zonked-out befuddlement, Keanu Reeves isn't the most energetic or intellectual performer, which is why he typically succeeds in two types of roles: testosterone-fueled surfer dude or villain. The actor is convincing and believable at the outset of this romance, when he's portraying a corporate shark going around the mental bend from stress and a Tin Man-style lack of heart. But as the tale heats up and his Nelson Moss begins to grow a sense of compassion, Reeves remains floating in the background, never coming fully alive and seemingly unable to access the zest, passion, and spirit called for by the script. Charlize Theron is a luminous beauty who's picture-perfect in what should have been a three-hankie role, but her Sara Deever is a character so dumbly imagined that she comes off as slightly retarded rather than eccentric. The worst sins of director Pat O'Connor are saved for last, however, when the film suddenly concludes – after setting up a variety of payoffs regarding Sara's condition, Nelson's work situation, and various personal relationships, it then resolves none of them. Sparing viewers the sight of a major character expiring in a hospital bed surrounded by beeping life-support machines is certainly an interesting creative choice, but it robs ticket holders of the film's cathartic qualities. If one is going to subject an audience to a tearjerker, why delete the scenes that would cause them to weep? (allmovie.com by Karl Williams)