Somenone Like You: Won't take any bull

Someone Like You," formerly and more cleverly known as "Animal Husbandry," based on the book by Laura Zigman, will not go down as one of the great romantic comedies. It's a film that tries to get under the skin of the differences between men and women, much in the same trend of "When Harry Met Sally." But much of what "Someone" accomplishes is good-looking surface material that doesn't reach far enough to be singled out for its wit. But darned if I didn't find myself smiling throughout the whole thing.\nThe story follows the romantic tribulations of Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd), a TV talk show talent booker who finds herself falling for television producer Ray Brown (Greg Kinnear playing his usual self-centered schmuck). It's a giddy and romantic courtship, and just when Jane realizes that Ray is the one, he unexpectedly dumps her for his old girlfriend.\nMore or less to get back at him, Jane moves in and becomes roommates with fellow co-worker and infamous womanizer Eddie, played by Hugh Jackman, hot off "X-Men" fame. (And I do mean hot.) Bitterness sometimes plants an ugly seed in movies, but "Someone Like You" leads to an interesting turn in which Jane, having been screwed over by her heart, explores clear-cut logic to deal with and explain the disintegration of her relationship. She finds this in the animal kingdom, developing the "new cow theory" comparing men with dumb polygamous bulls in a magazine article that makes her an overnight success. But what makes "Someone" so charming is its intentional inability to convert the masses into believing that all men are dogs. It doesn't drown viewers in a raging feminist, "First Wives Club," SCUM Manifesto. This move would ruin its sweetness.\nAnd it is sweet, particularly the subtle romantic chemistry between Jackman and Judd, whose initial friendship is a nice change from a convoluted plot that would make them jump through silly hoops to be together. Of course, "Someone" could be more, for as much as I got to know Jane, who perhaps spends a little too much screen time in tears, Eddie's complex male psyche is never fully developed, nor is enough attention directed to Jane's sister and brother-in-law whom I forgot about until they finally showed up in a crucial point at the end. \nBut "Someone Like You" gets the job done with feel-good sentimentalities as two attractive stars walk through the film, unaware of the eye candy they are, and provoking laughter and smiles in the meantime.