Review by Pamela Zoslov
It's not uncommon for a popular novel
to be badly adapted for the screen, but it is unusual when the writer
and director of the bad adaptation is also the book's author. That's
the case with
BAGGAGE CLAIM, a romantic comedy based on David E.
Talbert's “chick lit” novel about an airline flight attendant
looking for a husband. Talbert, an accomplished playwright, wrote the
screenplay and directed the film, which stars Paula Patton and, for some reason, elides much of the book's wit and charm. It's
as if the two Talberts are at odds: Author Talbert was betrayed by Director-Screenwriter Talbert. It's not a terrible film, just terribly uneven. Given its appealing source material, it should have been so much better.
