I Could Never Be Your Woman (DVD only)

Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Sarah Alexander, Saoirse Ronan, Fred Willard, Sally Kellerman, Mackenzie Crook, Wallace Shawn, Jon Lovitz, Tracey Ullman, Stacey Dash, Graham Norton, Steve Pemberton, Archie Panjabi, David Mitchell, Henry Winkler

Director: Amy Heckerling

Director Heckerling, a long way here from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, takes the theme of an older woman, Rosie (Pfeiffer), falling for a younger man (Rudd) and proceeds to do almost nothing with it. In this candy-floss movie, originally intended for UK theatrical distribiution, Pfeiffer plays a 40something writer-producer on a 30-minute TV sitcom.

Interviewing Adam (Rudd) for a part (which he turns into the mainstay of the series), Rosie falls for his wacky charm - but her PA (Alexander), who fancies Adam herself, is determined to torpedo the affair. Then there's Rosie's pubescent daughter Izzie (Irish actress Ronan, offering a terrific American accent but nothing else), who fancies her school's Fonz figure.

Not much happens: the happy couple laugh a lot, and generally enjoy a scatty romance. Guest stars wander in and out with nothing to do. Winkler plays himself, while Norton couldn't play anything but himself. They, like Mitchell, Kellerman, Shawn, Crook and others are reduced to the ranks of spectators on the sidelines. Pfeiffer at 49 can just about pass for 40, but then no depth is achieved here, nor indeed aimed for. You can tell that by the truly annoying Mother Nature (Ullman), who unnecessarily pops up throughout proceedings.

David Quinlan

USA/UK 2006. UK Distributor: The Associates. Colour by deluxe.
97 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 12.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.

Review date: 05 Jul 2008