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9 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Light Harted Indulgence, 3 March 2009 Author: thomas-187 from United States
What starts out as a frustrating to watch romantic comedy grew on me as I realized that the frustration was from a sensation of intensely identifying with the story.Sure it is a bit wordy and perhaps navel, but so are we. In our intellectual approach to living our so called perfect urban lives. Hugh Bonneville is funny and believable and the character I gravitated towards. Eric Cantona is a bit stiff, but pulls of the role and the chicks love him. This will play best with 30 something women as a hangover pull your feet up, giggle and reflect kind of film.
A Thinking Person's Film, 1 July 2009 Author: TatiaTatiana
Rare in these days that a film of this depth was successfully made - while still being funny, which will throw some people off because they will assume it's just a frothy romantic comedy with a few pertinent things to say. It even gets better with each successive viewing - which makes a DVD purchase a must for those who understand why this film received two awards at Monte Carlo (for Best Actor and Best Screenplay). May be too subtle for some who are looking for a broad stroke - but it is laughing out loud funny in many parts (if you get the complexity) due to the writing, directing and excellent ensemble cast. They all do well but of special note is Hugh Bonneville (who won for Best Actor at Monte Carlo) as the lead character Jed. Douglas Henshall is his best friend Marcus and Anne-Marie Duff and Victoria Hamilton are the girlfriends.
2 out of 4 people found the following review useful: A slow, boring talkfest, 27 February 2009 Author: groggo from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I find British film exports generally very good to superb, but this one is an exception. It's billed (even on IMDb) as a comedy/romance, and someone should sue for false advertising. With the exception of the first five minutes, there is barely a desperately needed laugh in the entire movie. The rest of the 88 minutes is basically people yakking endlessly about love and romance, to the point where it is waist-deep in a slow-moving (at times static) 'narrative'. Generous critics of this movie might want to call it a satire of the differences between British and French versions of love. And indeed it could have worked if the direction allowed it to 'breathe' as a satire. But it doesn't. Attempts at satire are sabotaged by the ponderous weight of the dialogue. Hugh Bonneville plays Jed, who wants to marry his girlfriend of 10 years (Cheryl, played by Victoria Hamilton). But they discover they don't really love each other at all, thanks to the probing of a French psychiatrist and a French filmmaker who specializes in affaires d'amour. Meanwhile, Jed's best friend Marcus (Douglas Henshall) madly loves his girlfriend Sophie (Anne-Marie Duff), or so he says, before a chance encounter with his first love of 20 years before. Marcus wants to run off to (where else?) Paris to marry her, leaving Sophie behind, loveless and forlorn. But wait: Jed is also loveless and forlorn. Gosh, do you think maybe they'll get together? This wildly telegraphed ending comes about the 55-minute mark. The rest of the film is mere padding for the clichéd finale. This movie cries out for some light touches here and there to air out its stuffiness. It is dirge-deep in talk of love and romance. Director Jackie Oudney has apparently never heard of the eloquence of silence in film.
0 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Eric we love you... !, 21 June 2009 Author: sp2303 from United Kingdom
Eric is great. Eric is just playing Eric. The rest is truly bad. What happened to the British film making fraternity that it assumes that everyone is interested in the middle class creative's life? No.. only they are.. that is why this wasn't a hit because nobody else cares. The interminable snowball of emotional layer cake that formulates these films stifles any real achievements with dialogue or characterisation and swallows it up with the cheesy endings. This stuff belongs on ITV on a Sunday night and nowhere else.What is a shame about this film is that it could have been interesting, it could have had an idea but it leaves it behind and tries to become Notting Four Weddings and a Hill. Please go away.. watch Hunger... and come back and try again. But please.. until you can get rid of the 'rom-com' fixation.. do not.. I repeat.. do not.. see me!
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