A nice try that doesn't quite come off.

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 2000)

This one of those glossy, no expense spared Anglo-American productions made for the international market. It isn't quiet as sharp and funny as it sets out to be but it's entertaining enough and even has one or two rather touching moments.
The acting is generally good. Grant's rather jerky mannerisms are irritating at first but he improves as the film progresses. Rhys Ifans is great as Hugh Grant's daffy Welsh room mate but the eccentricities of some of the minor characters are played rather too broadly. Julia Roberts is stunning and makes the most of her rather cliched role of a film star yearning for a simpler life.
There are some nice montages of beautifully photographed London locations with a great sound track. It's rather over long for it's subject matter but generally it all adds up to a pleasant evening's entertainment.