Blind Date is a remake of the 1996 film of the same name by the late Dutch director Theo van Gogh. At first he was of course known for being the great-grandnephew of the famous artist Vincent van Gogh, but his name became even more famous when he was tragically murdered in 2004 for making critical comments about Islam.
 
The story begins with a narrator who early on identifies herself as the daughter of Donald (Stanley Tucci, who also directed and co-wrote the movie) and Janna (Patricia Clarkson). Donald and Janna post and answer each other’s personal ads in the paper, and when they meet at the same place each time, they act as if they were complete strangers. Their personal ads are different each time, and they engage in role playing. Those meetings usually end up with the couple separating again in an aggressive manner.
 
Initially, the story doesn’t give you much to hold on to. There are only two major characters, and they don’t do a lot of talking. The development and revelation of the story comes very slowly, and the only way the audience will find out about their true relationship is by watching until the very end. The narrator does not appear in the movie, and her narrations are usually short and far apart. However, those narrations are important facts to understanding the reason for Donald and Janna’s behaviors.
 
Both Tucci and Clarkson give excellent performances trying to slip into the different roles they are trying to fill.  The constant smoking of the male character and consumption of alcohol in almost every sequence are a bit annoying, but they create a very depressing atmosphere and desperate situations. Overall the movie is very quiet, sometimes there is no background music, and when music plays it is part of the story. The movie is only 80 minutes long, and since the location and sequences don’t change, it may have become too much of the same if the running time had been any longer.
 
Blind Date is simple but very unique and original, and it has ingredients that are often found in melancholic, metaphorical and awkward foreign independent films. It is quite interesting to follow how the story unfolds step by step, sequence by sequence, since initially the audience is not given any clues about what brings the actors together. As more and more details are unfolded and revealed, the puzzle becomes more and more complete. The movie does have a few funny moments, but the overall storyline and the unexpected ending are very sad.