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Review

Allen had Keaton, Truffaut had Léaud, Ford had Wayne, Bergman had Ullmann, writer and now-director Curtis has Grant. Okay, so maybe the latter's output doesn't exactly ante up to the formers' collaborative works, but even in the lighter genre in which they operate it is no less important of a relationship. After writing such solid romances as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, which both featured Grant quite effectively, Curtis makes his directoral debut with this equally appealing, equally funny if somewhat overly ambitious romantic comedy: At least nine subplots populate the film, and that's about two too many. Grant plays the Prime Minister who finds romance with his secretary; Thompson and Rickman are a married couple coping with his wandering eye; Neeson is a widower raising his young son; Firth is a successful writer who falls for his housekeeper; best of the lot is Nighy as an aging rock star looking for a comeback. With these and more to give time to, Curtis shortshrifts his characters a bit, but fortunately what he has given them to do and say makes up for it. The story is charming throughout, the laughs are consistent, the ensemble is in fine form, and the romance just sort of sneaks up on you and catches you by surprise. It will be of no surprise to see Curtis and Grant make their masterwork together one day soon.