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French Film

4/10

Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Anne-Marie Duff, Douglas Henshall. Eric Cantona, Victoria Hamilton

Director: Jackie Oudney

This UK romantic comedy is even more slender than the runtime would suggest. Silences, pauses and glances at the scenery punctuate the narrative, as Bonneville and Hamilton (she saddled with one of the more unpleasant characters to grace screens this year) attend 'couple counselling' while their friends Henshall (much trimmed down from his star days) and Duff seem to have the ideal relationship.

Bonneville, easily the best thing in the film, with a delivery reminiscent of Colin Firth, is a journalist preparing for an interview with French film director Grimandi (Cantona), whose bogus philosophy about love bores us, but seems to be pulling the wool over other people's eyes.

Alas, Bonneville and Hamilton are patently totally unsuited, and the romantic outcome of the piece is clear almost from the opening frame. And when Bonneville asks the compatibility shrink (Jean Dell) 'Are we just going to sit here looking at each other?', you have to echo the question.

David Quinlan

UK 2008. UK Distributor: Vertigo. Eastman Colour .
87 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.

Review date: 14 May 2009