Predictable but Thoroughly Enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 2006)

I disagree with reviews that trash the movie ... Yes, the first ten minutes have you wondering if you stumbled into a mash-up from Bridget Jones, from the snowy village, to the publishing house Christmas party. But... I grew to love it anyway, and I'd buy it, and thought it was more interesting than Notting Hill, which I liked.
For the record, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz had _excellent_ chemistry. I never quite "got" the Jude Law obsession, but I do now! I wonder if that's part of the reason more screen time is devoted to their relationship - because it's just so much darn fun to watch them interact?
Also, I'm afraid to admit Iris and Amanda's characters are dead-on, from Cameron's constant "over-thinking" every issue and talking _way_ too much during intimate moments, to Kate's inability to move on, even when she's being so obviously manipulated. Ladies - take note how annoying it is to see in someone else, then try to curb yourself. Ditto Graham's fear of losing his single-guy self, and Miles willingness to cling to an obviously-wrong woman b/c he thinks she's out of his league and he won't do better.
Yes, too little time spent on the Jack Black/Kate Winslet pairing contributes to a flaw in the believability of their ultimate relationship - BUT, it was a huge relief to not have that thread unwind as obviously as I anticipated, instead enjoying the lovely friendship that develops with Iris and Arthur in a wonderfully spontaneous way. Too often we dismiss older people as 'batty', and I was happy to see someone over 60 represented as still flirty and funny without being a 'father figure' caricature.
Jack Black in 5 years (after more experience and some challenging roles) would be the right person to cast, but I could't think of a better 'everyman' today, so I like him in that role.
Yes, it's cliché, yes, plot-predictability-factor is 9.5 - but there are a few twists that make this a new telling of an old story, and I'm always a sucker for that Dickensian version of an English Christmas this movie plays very well to, right down to the smoking chimneys.