Funnier than I expected

Rating: 7/10 (28 October 2006)

I watched this because there was a special offer at the video shop, so it only cost me £1. It was far funnier in places than I expected, and quite subtle in its balancing of love affairs that do take off, generally in unusual circumstances, against failures and other kinds of love, all in pursuit of the theme that "love is all around". I have to say, some of the developments are wildly implausible, and Hugh Grant does not convince as a bachelor Prime Minister, who must, to judge from a remark by his sister in the story, be a lot older than he looks (and would either party actually have a leader in his forties who was not merely a bachelor but without any kind of female partner at all? I doubt it). But many of the performances are engaging, especially Bill Nighy as a clapped-out old rock star, and overall it was good fun.