Sickly sweet but without the honey

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2004)

There's no real surprise in the fayre served up by this movie. It's a movie of the feel good variety, but there's at least a few of the characters that don't have everything their own way.
The film would have been more interesting if it would have focussed on a smaller number of relationships. We don't ever really get a deep understanding of any of the relationships which is a shame, since it would have been nice to get to know some of them a bit better.
Alan Rickman is excellent as the grumpy Harry and his relationship with his wife Karen (Emma Thompson) and secretary Mia is the most complex and interesting of the relationships. In terms of laughs Bill Nighy steels the show and the rest of the cast all contribute exactly what you would expect of them. There isn't anything outstanding in the movie, but it's a fairly pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. If you like Brit Rom Coms such as 4 Weddings, Notting Hill then you're more or less guaranteed to enjoy this.