Irish don't say « Baby »

Rating: 2/10 (25 February 2008)

Oh so clichéd, oh so contrived, oh so predictable. We've seen it all a hundred times before.
The film begins with our "loving" couple having a raucous, protracted argument; the vehicle chosen (curiously) by the director to convey the depth and sincerity of their relationship, and during which, on several occasions our Irishman calls his wife "baby". Irishmen don't say "baby". This unconvincing beginning sets the tone for the rest of the film.
What a disappointment; and from the same writer/director and leading lady who gave us the excellent Freedom Writers. What happened here?
Hilary Swank looks uncomfortably miscast in this role, she turns in a flat, mediocre performance, and there is a palpable lack of chemistry between her and her on-screen husband Gerard Butler. They really are the most unlikely couple. Added to which, neither of the two supposedly Irish men (Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan) can manage a proper Irish accent.
The script is weak and pretentious and the storyline lacks authenticity. Billed as a romantic comedy, it is neither romantic nor funny. It simply does not work.
This film is coated with a wafer thin veneer of pathos, humour and romanticism; a veneer which cracks under the slightest examination to reveal the emptiness within.
If there were a category for "cringe" value it would score 10, but for spectator value it just scrapes a 2.