ROMANTIC COMEDY FORCES FIENNES TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GIRL, FRIENDSHIP.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic Watching the offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. romantic comedy ``The Very Thought of You'' brought to mind that great line from Wes Anderson's ``Rushmore'': ``With friends like this, who needs friends?'' Laurence (Joseph Fiennes) has two such friends, Frank (Rufus Sewell) and Daniel (Tom Hollander Tom Hollander (born November 30 1967) is an award-winning English actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean. ), chums he has known since his grade-school days. The thing is, Laurence is near 30 now, and these relationships are based more on the past than any commonality in the present. Still, Laurence is a man, an English man no less, so he's not given to examining the deep meaning behind it all. Life is what it is - until a woman named Martha enters the picture, the same woman, it turns out, who has bewitched be·witch tr.v. be·witched, be·witch·ing, be·witch·es 1. To place under one's power by or as if by magic; cast a spell over. 2. To captivate completely; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. each of the three friends unbeknownst to the others. ``The Very Thought of You,'' like most romances, stacks the deck heavily in favor of love, so much so that the movie loses some of its appeal. You know it's a cinch cinch a saddle girth on an American stock saddle. Tightens with a knot on a ring instead of with straps and buckles. that there's going to be a clinch right before the closing credits. And it's a pretty goofy clinch at that. The film does have its small charms, though, and boasts agreeable enough turns from the ever-brooding Fiennes and Monica Potter as his would-be soulmate soulmate n → compañero/a del alma . You could do worse on a date night. Potter plays Martha, a down-on-her-luck American beauty American Beauty n. A type of rose bearing large, long-stemmed purplish-red flowers. who decides to make a new life in London, not because she knows anyone there, but because the airplane ticket costs her just $99. Martha's solo mission quickly turns into a foursome, which, in turn, threatens the rather tenuous bond shared by Laurence and his friends. The movie begins rather slowly but picks up steam once it fully introduces the three men and their lady. Director Nick Hamm, working from a clever but uneven screenplay by Peter Morgan This article is about the British screenwriter. For other uses of the same name, see Peter Morgan (disambiguation). Peter Morgan (born April 10, 1963 in London) is an English Academy Award nominated screenwriter and playwright. , manages a few nice twists on the romantic-comedy genre, going back and forth in time and perspective with stylish imagination. But for every moment of ingenuity, ``The Very Thought of You'' has a lapse in credibility. There are too many coincidences, too many heavy sighs. And given the overwhelming stupidity of his two friends, the choice Laurence must ultimately make certainly shouldn't give him much pause for thought. That it does is a dilemma we just can't buy. The Facts The film: ``The Very Thought of You'' (PG-13; language). The stars: Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell, Tom Hollander, Joseph Fiennes. Behind the scenes: Directed by Nick Hamm. Screenplay by Peter Morgan. Released by Miramax Films. Running time: One hour, 28 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood West Hollywood A community of southern California northeast of Beverly Hills. It is mainly residential. Population: 36,600. , Laemmle Monica in Santa Monica. Our rating: Two and a half stars. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO School chums Rufus Sewell, left, Joseph Fiennes and Tom Hollander stick together in ``The Very Thought of You.'' |
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