Leap Year review

Join Amy Adams in Hollywood's version of Ireland

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

If only Ryanair did flights to the Ireland of Hollywood’s imagination. That’s where Bostonian Anna (Amy Adams) is heading after her boyfriend (Adam Scott) fails to pop the question.

Taking advantage of an old leap year custom, she plans to propose on his Dublin business trip. But when her plane diverts to Cardiff and the only available taxi cab is driven by the ruggedly handsome Declan (Matthew Goode), it’s a fair bet things won’t go to plan.

The Oirish sterotypes do grate, but star power saves the day – even playing spoiled and brittle, Adams remains adorable, while Goode has a loose, louche charisma and, most importantly, the pair summon the requisite hissy/kissy chemistry.

Golden Age Hollywood charm (specifically It Happened One Night) with the obligatory modern Hollywood schmaltz thrown in, this will rile anyone who’s been within 100 miles of the real Ireland, but run with it and it’s an enjoyable fantasy all the same.

Latest in Action Movies
The cast of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts director says the new Marvel movie is inspired by Toy Story 3: "Can they get out of the trash can together?"
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
“The reveal was a big mistake”: MCU fans pick the twists they wish Marvel movie trailers didn’t spoil beforehand
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
"He is so dialed in": Robert Downey Jr. is coming up with backstory and costume ideas for Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Bullet Train Explosion on Netflix
Upcoming Netflix movie is like the Speed sequel we never got, and it’s coming next month
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers have an idea about Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars runtimes, and one might reach Avengers: Endgame's record
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Fantastic Four: First Steps concept art contains an unexpected MCU Easter Egg that could change the Marvel movie completely
Latest in Reviews
Doggerland player board
Doggerland review: "A delicate dance of survival and management that doesn't feel weighted toward a single strategy"
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX gaming mouse standing upright on a wooden desk
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX review: "a force to be reckoned with"
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review: "There have been far worse Marvel projects, but few as disappointing as this"
RTX 5070 Founders Edition and Asus Prime OC graphics card standing vertical on woodgrain desk next to plant and monitor
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: "far from a RTX 4090 rival, but I’d still call it a solid 4K GPU"
The two characters in Split Fiction dressed in fantasy gear each with a dragon on their back
Split Fiction review: "Cements Hazelight as the master of co-op games"
Acer Nitro V 14 gaming laptop on a wooden desk
Acer Nitro V 14 review: "a solid value proposition… if you can find one"