This is a "popcorn movie" - fun while it lasts but ultimately forgettable. Personally, though I quite like popcorn movies. I like the experience of going to the cinema, so the film I'm watching doesn't always have to be mind-blowing for me to enjoy it.
It was interesting to see the three protagonists being played by fortysomething actors as opposed to actors in their twenties playing teenagers.
This looks like a pay cheque part for Mr Firth, however. He is vastly under-used but he was always going to be, because he is not the leading man here.
Uma Thurman has been heavily criticised for her "slapstick comedy" and, while she does sometimes look ill at ease, it is still entertaining watching her go from straight-laced to passionate, playful and scatterbrained when she meets Patrick.
This should be Thurman's movie, she is likeable and looks fabulous - but it is really just a showcase for Grey's Anatomy heart-throb Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
I'll admit I watched this film to see Morgan on a bigger screen - and he delivers. An earthier leading man than those usually cast in rom-coms, Morgan's overt masculinity is refreshing in this genre.
If you are looking for ground-breaking cinema then go elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you are after something comfortingly familiar, try this formulaic but nonetheless sweet rom-com.
3 Stars.
First published in the Evening Gazette
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