Kate & Leopold
On 28 April 1876, Leopold, His Grace the 3rd Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman), is a stifled dreamer. He has created a design for a primitive elevator, and has built a small model of this device. His strict uncle Millard (Paxton Whitehead) has no patience for what he characterises as a sign of Leopold's disrespect for the Monarchy, chastising him, and telling him he must marry a rich American, as the Mountbatten family finances are depleted. In response to his uncle's accusations of his blemishing the family name, Leopold counters that the new nobility is to be found in those who pursue initiatives, hence his interest in the sciences and inventions.
One day, the Duke finds Stuart Besser (Liev Schreiber), an amateur physicist (and great-great-grandson of Leopold) in his study perusing his schematic diagrams and taking photographs of them. He had seen him earlier at Roebling's speech about the Brooklyn Bridge, after he was laughing at the word "erection." Leopold follows Stuart and tries to save him from falling off the unfinished bridge, only to fall with him into a temporal portal between centuries that Stuart has used to travel to 1876.
Leopold awakens in 21st century New York City. He is at first confused and thinks that he has been kidnapped. Stuart says that he has created formulae to forecast portals in the temporal universe and that Leopold must stay inside his apartment until the portal opens again a week later. As Stuart takes his dog out, he is injured by falling into the elevator shaft, and is eventually institutionalized for speaking about his scientific discovery. According to Stuart's books, Leopold's unintentional time travel to the 21st century appears to have caused a disruption of all elevators, on account of his leaving the 19th century before he could register for a patent for his own device.
Leopold is intrigued by the cynical and ambitious Kate McKay (Meg Ryan), Stuart's ex-girlfriend, who comes to the apartment for her Palm Pilot stylus. He observes that she is a "career woman" and that her field, market research, is a fine avocation for a woman, and states that he once dated a librarian from Sussex. Kate dismisses him and demands that he take Stuart's dog for a walk. Leopold is overwhelmed to see that Roebling's bridge is still standing. Back at the apartment, he befriends Charlie (Breckin Meyer), Kate's brother and an actor between gigs, who believes him to be an actor as well, steadfast to his character.
Kate and Leopold become romantically involved as they dine and tour New York.
Leopold agrees to act in a diet margarine commercial for one of Kate's clients, but walks off the set after finding the product disgusting. He and Kate argue, with Leopold chastising her about integrity, and Kate bristling about his moralising and countering that he lacks connection with reality. Realising that their time together is nearly over, both spend the evening in subdued contemplation. Stuart suddenly returns to his apartment, having escaped from the mental hospital, and sends Leopold back to his own time.
Afterwards, Stuart and Charlie notice Kate in the photos Stuart took at Leopold's ball, and realise that her destiny must be to go back and be with Leopold. That night, while Kate is accepting her promotion at a company banquet, he and Charlie race to meet her and show her the pictures. Kate initially rejects their overtures and goes on to give her acceptance speech, but it is there that she sees Stuart's picture and realises that she truly wants to be with Leopold.
Kate abruptly ends her speech, and the three of them rush to the Brooklyn Bridge. Kate makes it to the portal before it closes and reappears in 1876, where Leopold appears resigned to his marriage of convenience. Just before Leopold announces his bride, Kate bursts into the building, and he announces her name instead, referring to her as being one the McKays of Massapequa. In amongst the shocked guests, Kate and Leopold reunite with a kiss and dance a bridal waltz.
romantic, fantasy, alternate history