Charm Without Depth

Rating: Null/10 (1 September 2003)

I think love stories work most effectively when the viewer can easily project themselves into one of the two romantic leads. If the film doesn't do this, the audience gets bored. What makes it easy to empathize with these characters is that it is a unique situation.
I like it when a film fully commits itself. It makes it easier to enjoy. I think it also makes the film more vulnerable to criticism. Marshall took quite a risk making such a light-hearted romance, but it paid off in the end. This film was very popular and it isn't hard to understand why.

It was probably the shallow tenderness of the romance that made the film such a success, even though it is supported by a strong plot and all the elements of a conventional screenplay. The changes the characters go through are not what affect us the most. Vivian's adventure' and Edward's hospitality are what touched people.