Instead of avoiding the genre's conventions, the effervescent German film revels in them, resulting in a picture so infectious it almost seems original.
Bleibtreu's almost too-innocent shy guy works, and his wider familiarity will help sell the adventure, but it's his co-star who gives us the emotional mileage of the drive.
None of this is the least bit believable, but all is told with a light touch and good humor and the characters are quirky enough that you can't help enjoying the ride.
We've been to this place many times before, folks: An overly fastidious, brainy male gets led through a series of zany adventures by a free-spirited female, and the moral of the story is to not live life so cautiously.
While it's true that this 2000 romantic comedy is basically a Teutonic riff on the 1985 John Cusack comedy The Sure Thing, In July still has just enough twists and turns and is just light enough on its feet to stand on its own.
[It has] such engaging characters [that] if Akin wasn't working overtime trying to get these kids together, viewers might get the urge to play matchmaker themselves.
If you're the sort who used to enjoy romantic comedies before they became doddering and formulaic chick flicks, take some steps and search this one out.
Another great foreign film that I'd watch over (almost) any domestic film any day. Good performances, witty and quirky dialogue, and well-timed direction make this road-odyssey a must see
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