The story of this film is kind of predictable for a romantic comedy: lecherous, but gifted poetry professor is gradually reformed through his love for a quirkily unusual woman. In this case, the professor, Richard Haig (played by Pierce Brosnan), also has a cantankerous old father (Macolm McDowell) and a son Jake (Duncan Joiner). He is also, not that surprisingly, torn between two sisters - Kate (Jessica Alba), the boy's mother and her very much more Spanish sounding sister Olivia (Salma Hayek).
The first 25 minutes of the film is set in the UK and we are treated to every cinematic cliché in the book. There is even a scene in which our Prof rides a motorbike passed various London landmarks rushing to get to his appointment. The characters and plot are introduced and nothing gels at all; everything is over the top as we move from one cliché to the next.
Kate decides to move back to the US but there are still more clichés to present, like rabbits from a hat. The prof's fawningly attentive Cambridge students are exchanged for a new caricatured American set whose whole attention remains permanently with their laptops and mobiles. During the build-up to an agonisingly predictable scene of the Prof getting drunk at a formal reception you might feel you cannot possibly stand it any more... But have courage: the half time whistle is about to blow.
And then, quite suddenly, the whole thing turns around. To be precise, for me (watching on Netflix) this was 38 minutes in to the 1 hour, 35 minute movie. There are still clichés to be sure, but suddenly the actors seem to have a feel for their characters. They seem to be having fun. The situation, although it is fairly contrived, feels more real and we start to care about what happens to our Prof and his son and whether the Prof will manage to get the right sister in the end - or not.
So... At the start, only give the film half your attention: cook dinner, hoover, do the ironing, whatever. Then settle to watch it properly after half an hour and it should seem quite good.
The first 25 minutes of the film is set in the UK and we are treated to every cinematic cliché in the book. There is even a scene in which our Prof rides a motorbike passed various London landmarks rushing to get to his appointment. The characters and plot are introduced and nothing gels at all; everything is over the top as we move from one cliché to the next.
Kate decides to move back to the US but there are still more clichés to present, like rabbits from a hat. The prof's fawningly attentive Cambridge students are exchanged for a new caricatured American set whose whole attention remains permanently with their laptops and mobiles. During the build-up to an agonisingly predictable scene of the Prof getting drunk at a formal reception you might feel you cannot possibly stand it any more... But have courage: the half time whistle is about to blow.
And then, quite suddenly, the whole thing turns around. To be precise, for me (watching on Netflix) this was 38 minutes in to the 1 hour, 35 minute movie. There are still clichés to be sure, but suddenly the actors seem to have a feel for their characters. They seem to be having fun. The situation, although it is fairly contrived, feels more real and we start to care about what happens to our Prof and his son and whether the Prof will manage to get the right sister in the end - or not.
So... At the start, only give the film half your attention: cook dinner, hoover, do the ironing, whatever. Then settle to watch it properly after half an hour and it should seem quite good.