Chicken soup without the chicken.

Rating: 6/10 (25 December 2007)

This is the classic case of "could've been a great movie if the script wasn't such a big pile of crap".
Okay, I like the idea of two workaholic women who suddenly get so sick of everything that they spontaneously decide to jump on a plane and swap homes. They have two things in common, hard work & undeserving men.
The idea is fantastic. The cast is great. Kate Winslet is wonderful as the frumpy new Brigit Jones. Cameron Diaz is perfect as the glamorous movie girl from LA and Jude law is a warming handsome country bumpkin.
This is where it all goes wrong.
Bland dialogue. Bland story. And Jack Black as Kate Winslet's love interest? No comment.
One would be sitting in front of the screen thinking "just please end".
The budding relationship between Amanda (Diaz) and Graham (Law) falls short in terms of romance. They meet, they have sex a few times and suddenly are "in love". There is no real passion or tenderness and their relationship leaves the audience feeling somewhat dissatisfied. Diaz and Law just completely lack chemistry.
The whole story of Iris is uninteresting, it's such a shame since Kate Winslet is a great actress. There is no real character development, she starts off as a doormat and despite her brief rage towards Jasper (her clinging ex) she still is a doormat in the end.
There are no emotional dynamics. This film is the equivalent of a decaf cappuccino filled with artificial sweeteners.