My Date with Drew

Brian Herzlinger, a gregarious young man who's had a crush on Drew Barrymore since seeing her in E.T. 20 years ago, hopes to get a date with the star within 30 days in this amiable personal documentary. Putting his job search on hold, Herzlinger invests the $1,100 he won on a TV quiz show (the correct answer, prophetically, was “Drew Barrymore”) to undertake the quixotic quest and document it—with the help of two film-school buddies and a bevy of friends and contacts—using a camcorder acquired from Circuit City, with the intention of taking it back it in accord with the chain's (since-altered) 30-day return policy. It wouldn't be fair to reveal how it all turns out, but I will say that Herzlinger's mission has its share of amusing and revealing moments, while also illustrating the universal desire to realize a dream. An agreeable, though rather stunt-like, piece that most audiences will be able to identify with, My Date with Drew is so determinedly good-natured and self-deprecating—even though it's technically ramshackle, and pretty clearly designed to grab the attention of Hollywood—that it's recommended, overall. (F. Swietek)