Reviewed by Doug Cooper
Stars Hugh Bonneville, Anne-Marie Duff, Douglas Henshall,
Victoria Hamilton, Eric Cantona, Adrian Annis, Jean Dell,
Kenneth Hooper, Henry Maynard
Written by Aschlin Ditta
Certification UK 15 | Australia M
Runtime 87 minutes
Directed by Jackie Oudney
Eric Cantona as a smug, cigarette-smoking movie director waxing lyrical about love and relationships is the funniest thing about this dreary romcom. It barely raises a laugh despite the sterling efforts from the players.
Cantona opens the film being interviewed for a DVD extra, which is viewed by feature writer Bonneville who has to do a forthcoming Q & A with him. Bonneville's character has been in a 10-year relationship with Hamilton, but after finally popping the question, she has declined his proposal of marriage and they try counselling. Secretly he harbours a passion for Duff, who is living with Henshall. But Henshall meets an old girlfriend from 20 years back and falls in love with her again. Mon dieu! How complicated life is - if only they could all sort themselves out.
The homage to wry French movies is nicely done but overall this lightweight, inconsequential trifle offers nothing new. The four leads are very good, all believable and personable enough, and Cantona makes one smile, but the situations presented have been done so many times before one quickly grows tired of the set-up. It's a tedious exercise and makes little impression. A pity, as the cast deserve so much better. The English don't have the laid-back, laconic style of the French. Brits are too incompetent - as this movie points out only too well. Intentionally of course, but hardly persuasively.