Blind Dating

Danny was born blind, something that’s never slowed him down – he doesn’t even use his cane. But like any blind person Danny has had to deal with the pity and annoying prejudices of strangers and his loved ones. Upon entering law school the fact that he has never been in a relationship finally wears on Danny and he decides he’s like to be like everyone else at least in that way and lets his brother set him up on a series of blind dates. However, while this is going on Danny also agrees to take part in a surgical procedure that may restore his sight; at the office of the doctor he meets Leeza, a young Indian woman and the two develop a relationship without Danny knowing that Leeza is currently trapped in the process of an arranged marriage.

While kind of cute in concept, Blind Dating is the classic case of a film that tries to do too much and therefore fails at everything. Parts of this film were down right laughable and the mood changes and plot points were heavy handed, and amateurish. The single most laughable section of the film was Danny’s surgery and aftermath. Honestly, the film would have worked better as a straight romance and Leeza and Danny could have met at a doctor’s office without the necessity of the sight restoring surgery.

One of the directorial problems with Blind Dating was that it looked and felt like a Hallmark or made for TV movie. The pacing was too slow, the tone was just too bright at times and the visuals lacked character. Low and behold I later discovered that director James Keach is a television director that got his start in TV movies.

Call me biased but the one great thing about Blind Dating was Chris Pine. This guy has got some genuine talent to him, and the best, most entertaining parts of Blind Dating are when he is focused on the most. He manages to breathe some life into this otherwise lifeless character and make him not just an attractive guy but a genuinely likable character that has some emotional depth to him if not actual depth in the character.

This is definitely a film for those that want to see Chris Pine be charming for two hours, but really not worth much else.

Director: James Keach
Writer: Christopher Theo
Danny: Chris Pine
Dr, Evans: Jane Seymour
Larry: Eddie Kaye Thomas
Leeza: Anjali Jay
Dr. Perkins: Stephen Tobolowsky