Jane Goodale: Ashley Judd	Ray: Greg Kinnear
Eddie: Hugh Jackman	Liz: Marisa Tomei
Diane Roberts: Ellen Barkin	Director: Tony Goldwyn

30 Second Bottom Line: A single woman theorizes that men are like bulls, employing the "old cow" strategy. They soon tire (you got it) of the same old cow; dump her and move on to a new cow. Never one with whom he has been "intimate" before; supposedly this is true for cows and seems to be for the men she's known as well. She may be right or wrong.

Story Line: This romantic comedy stars Ashley Judd as Jane Goodale, a talent booker for TV talk show host Diane Roberts (Ellen Barkin). Jane's a woman who is in and out of relationships and not very happy about it. She is not worrying about the ticking biological clock as much as she is about the possibility of innumerable, meaningless, short-term romantic relationships.

When hot shot executive producer Ray (Greg Kinnear), joins the talk show staff, the cartoon cloud of "attraction" pops on the screen, so we know they are meant to hit it off…at least for awhile. Soon they are in the "establishing intimacy" phase. After good times in the sack comes the "vocalization of emotions"…the "L" word," love, and Jane and Ray are soon planning to share an apartment together. Jane now has to give notice on her place because her lease is about to end, and Ray has to break things off with his girlfriend of three years, Dee.

Needless to say Ray is either afraid to break up with Dee, or it's the "C" word of commitment to Jane, or any other woman, that derails the plans that Jane has. Ray starts to avoid Jane and it's at this stage that she becomes victim of the "new cow" theory. Supposedly a male cow only wants to mate with a female cow once, and 95% of males in the animal kingdom don't believe in monogamy. Once the new cow has served its purpose, a syndrome is created called the "old cow theory." This rationale helps her deal with their break up.

Since Jane does not have a place to live, and co-worker Eddie (Hugh Jackman) needs a roommate, she moves in with him. It's a large loft apartment with two bedrooms and one bath. Eddie is a womanizer who tries to bed a different woman every night. Jane observes this, wondering if he is living proof of the new cow theory, or if there might be something deeper. She also decides to move on professionally.

A call to arms is made, and Jane becomes a columnist with her best friend Liz' (Marisa Tomei ) magazine. To further theorize, Jane intones "when, not if, the man comes running back, symbolizes the current cow sob story," as he tries to get "back into the bullpen." Of course, later on Ray does try to make a comeback.

Liz is a person who seems to give good advice, which she herself is reluctant to follow. In the end we know that Jane will find a true love…old cow, new cow, anyhow.

Tell Me More About It: Some folks may be aware that this movie is based upon a best-selling book titled Animal Husbandry, which may give you additional insight into this film. Someone Like You does not touch me as much emotionally as What Women Want or Family Man, but it comes close. Ashley Judd is a very good actress. She made what was silly and preposterous almost believable.

I like the entire cast of the film, but the only person I really care about is Jane. This wacky story makes you not take anything too seriously, which allows you to enjoy the film in spite of its flaws (and it has a few), including having good actors who never really get into their groove. If you want to understand why I had higher expectations, see Kinnear in The Gift, or Tomei in In the Bedroom, which will be released this fall. Tomei gave a memorable cameo performance in What Women Want, so I know that she could have added more oomph to her role if this film had been written or directed differently.

As hard as relationships are to develop and maintain, certain aspects of Someone Like You reminds me of someone like me and others I know. If there is any merit to this goof ball theory, it may be that to sustain a relationship, old cows, both male and female, must constantly reinvent themselves as new cows. Moooooooooooo……

Ashley Judd: Double Jeopardy	Greg Kinnear: The Gift; Nurse Betty
Hugh Jackman: X Men	Marisa Tomei: What Women Want
Ellen Barkin: Crime & Punishment in Suburbia	Tony Goldwyn: Bounce