a whimsical, fun first half, that only gets worse

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 2002)

From the start, the movie is engaging and enjoyable, with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant perfectly cast. The acting is strong throughout, but the writing often leaves much to be desired. In the second half, the plot seems to completely lose itself, and the characters are expected to keep the movie going through sheer likeableness, and no actor, even if it is Hugh Grant, can be expected to pull that off. The touching ending redeems it a bit, but on the whole, I'm stuck with the lasting memory of the thoroughly boring middle section.