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Meg Ryan returns to the genre she does best, romantic comedy, in this tale of time travel gone awry. Meg is the Kate of the title, part of a group of scientists who accidentally bring a 19th-century man, the eponymous Leopold, into the present. While the rest of the scientists try to find a way to send Leopold back where he belongs, Kate treats the visitor to a tour of New York City, during which the two, naturally, fall in love.

Ah, yes, two Hollywood staples combined: the fish-out-of-water and opposites-attract love story. The latter is very nearly Ryan's stock-in-trade; she's sailed these waters before, mostly with Tom Hanks. We've also seen her paired with Billy Crystal and Matthew Broderick, among others, and all with varying degrees of success. This time around, her soon-to-be-true love is Hugh Jackman, whose star has been rising steadily since he appeared in 2000's X-Men as Wolverine. The remainder of the cast, as well as the writers and director, are largely unknowns.

There's not a lot of information available on this Miramax release; there's not even a trailer out yet. While this in and of itself doesn't necessarily point to disaster, it does give one reason for concern over the film's success. A romantic comedy lives and dies on the chemistry between its stars and, to a lesser extent, the deftness of its script; Meg Ryan has demonstrated in the past that, given a good script and co-star, she can shine; witness When Harry Met Sally... and that all-time champ, Sleepless in Seattle. Unfortunately, the flip side is also true, as evidenced by such films as Addicted to Love and IQ. The trailer for this will be essential in bringing people in opening weekend; it will then be up to Meg, Hugh and the scriptwriters to get positive word-of-mouth and provide the film legs. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)

October 1, 2001
Miramax has moved Kate and Leopold to December from its original February 8th target date, apparently as a reaction to DreamWorks' decision to push The Time Machine to February 8th. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

December 17, 2001
According to Miramax's Web site, Kate and Leopold has been pushed back to open on Christmas day.

Vital statistics for Kate and Leopold Main Cast Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman Supporting Cast Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne, Bradley Whitford Director James Mangold Screenwriter James Mangold, Steven Rogers Distributor Miramax Trailer Click Here for Trailer Rating PG-13 Running Time 118 minutes Screen Count 2,449 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Kate and Leopold
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
You've Got Mail	12/18/98	18.43	23.69	2691	6849.00	8470.0	115.73	148.79	6.28
Sleepless in Seattle	6/26/93	17.25	25.12	1579	10925.00	15305.6	126.68	184.50	7.34
City of Angels	4/10/98	15.37	19.76	2212	6948.00	8592.4	78.75	101.24	5.12
Addicted to Love *	5/23/97	11.45	15.04	2007	5705.00	7208.9	34.67	45.54	3.03
Someone Like You	3/30/01	10.01	10.68	2345	4269.00	4382.3	27.23	29.06	2.72
Crow: City of Angels *	8/30/96	9.79	13.35	2423	4040.00	5301.4	17.90	24.42	1.83
French Kiss	5/5/95	9.02	12.50	1721	5241.00	6988.0	38.86	53.86	4.31