Strictly a hit and miss kind of thing, a chic flick for the romantically inclined types who revel in seeing a woman putting down men as worthless love objects and dreaming of an alternate life style for herself while not making any real commitments in the real world, but living in some kind of virtual reality so she can test the waters of being someone else.
On the credit side, it's all very stylishly photographed in handsome settings, has a bouncy musical score to keep things moving along at a nice pace, and has a virtuoso central performance by RACHEL GRIFFITHS that would be even more charming if her character made any sense.
She reminds me of the sort of appeal Betsy Drake (American actress once married to Cary Grant) had in films like EVERY GIRL SHOULD BE MARRIED. She has the same girlish charm and very expressive eyes and mouth that can let you know what she's supposed to be thinking, especially when glimpsed in close-up reactions.
But it's as light as air, as flimsy as plots go, with some pleasant incidental scenes of families trying to bond, as for example the dinner restaurant scene with hubby, wife and children eating out in a candlelit atmosphere, including the little boy who says he "has to go to the toilet" at a picture-taking moment. These sly observations of single life vs. family gatherings give the film its human qualities.
But the character of the rather neurotic young woman is only vaguely suggested and she has so many annoying traits and sudden changes of mind that it becomes frustrating to keep up with her whims.
As the ending shows, she values her independence but longs for something like a relationship with her latest love, Ben, (played with romantic finesse by attractive SANDY WINTON), who clearly is nuts about her. Again, she's afraid to commit.
Another demerit: The fantasy angle with her double only adds to the general aimlessness of the plot. The film's chief merit is RACHEL GRIFFITHS and her winsome charm.
On the credit side, it's all very stylishly photographed in handsome settings, has a bouncy musical score to keep things moving along at a nice pace, and has a virtuoso central performance by RACHEL GRIFFITHS that would be even more charming if her character made any sense.
She reminds me of the sort of appeal Betsy Drake (American actress once married to Cary Grant) had in films like EVERY GIRL SHOULD BE MARRIED. She has the same girlish charm and very expressive eyes and mouth that can let you know what she's supposed to be thinking, especially when glimpsed in close-up reactions.
But it's as light as air, as flimsy as plots go, with some pleasant incidental scenes of families trying to bond, as for example the dinner restaurant scene with hubby, wife and children eating out in a candlelit atmosphere, including the little boy who says he "has to go to the toilet" at a picture-taking moment. These sly observations of single life vs. family gatherings give the film its human qualities.
But the character of the rather neurotic young woman is only vaguely suggested and she has so many annoying traits and sudden changes of mind that it becomes frustrating to keep up with her whims.
As the ending shows, she values her independence but longs for something like a relationship with her latest love, Ben, (played with romantic finesse by attractive SANDY WINTON), who clearly is nuts about her. Again, she's afraid to commit.
Another demerit: The fantasy angle with her double only adds to the general aimlessness of the plot. The film's chief merit is RACHEL GRIFFITHS and her winsome charm.