Disappointing and contrived

Rating: 4/10 (18 April 2001)

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the performances of Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, and Renee Zellwegger more than held her own in the lead role. I just thought the film a bit on the silly side, and many situations were contrived. It could have been a comedy with some depth to it, but there were too many stock Hollywood sequences like a fight breaking out with the restaurant windows breaking and cliches like that. The music didn't fit well, it seemed too obvious that they were trying to sell the soundtrack. (I know, what else is new?) The Pride and Prejudice parallel is really thin, see the BBC Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth if you want to see the real thing.