Warm-hearted if somewhat fanciful

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2006)

If only there were villages in Surrey, England that looked this pretty in snow - come that, if only there were snow in Surrey, which there hasn't been in any quantity for years. Still, the good folks of Shere will have enjoyed some of Universal's finest white stuff when this was filmed, apparently in high summer. Kate Winslett carries the film, ably assisted by Jude Law. For me, both Cameron Diaz and Jack Black were miscast, though I too enjoyed the Dustin Hoffman cameo. I was pretty fidgety during the first 30 minutes, thinking it was all going to be too hammy for words, but then the characters kicked in and, in true make-believe fashion, I just let it all wash over me like warm chocolate. Not many laughs - in fact only one - and not much emotion-grabbing either, but just before Christmas with a full brain, it was great relaxation