turn off your brain and enjoy the show.

Rating: Null/10 (14 January 2004)

Usually, as a feminist film student with severe arthouse tendencies, I tend to avoid 'romantic comedies'' like the plague. BUT this isn't just a romance movie and that is what saves it. Yes its sacharine sweet, and overwhelmingly white (the few black characters barely get a word in, let alone their own storyline). And heterosexual - which I was a little confused about- they managed to get in friendship and sibling type love between the same sexes but stopped short at romantic love? Surely society's come further than that in the last little while? And refuses to discuss England's heavy class segregation (although that's kinda become a trademark of Richard Curtis's created universe I guess). Having said all that I actually enjoyed this movie, it's cute, it's a little subversive (an 11 year old kid doing the run through the airport at the last minute thing is pretty funny) and its surprisingly bitter sweet. And really it's the stories where love doesn't conquer all that place this movie a little above the rest of the rom coms, that and the superb acting from the superstar cast (especially Laura Linney and Emma Thompson). Curtis manages to blend all the stories together without being too confusing, which is quite an art considering there's more than 8 stories to fit into one movie. So basically, if you turn off your brain and relax about it you'll get a good ride. And you get to see Hugh Grant shake his booty- what's cooler than that?