A Rank Film Picture, Written by Richard Curtis, Directed by Mike Newell.
This is one of the most definitive rom-coms in history and has been much referenced and copied in the years since it’s release, but is it actually that’s good?
Well the answer is mostly yes. This definitely enjoyable movie is structured in five distinct parts (as the title would have you suspect) which makes for amusing scenarios but gives little chance for much real story or development.
However, the writing and cast are great, with lots of opportunity for witty interplay between the cast and for Hugh Grant to do his classic ‘charming posh boy routine’. In my opinion Richard Curtis and Mike Newell have both made better films than this, but it’s understandable why it is one of their most famous.
A small part of the film I also admired is how it treat a deaf character. He was treated with compassion but his condition never defined him as a character, and it was simply another part of him as a person that everyone accepted, and it’s refreshing to see that and is quite progressive for a mid-90s film.
Grant and MacDowell have great chemistry when they are on the screen together, and you instantly root for them to get together, even if their potential relationship is never explored enough to actually make the final payoff worth it.
That sums most of the film up, it’s a charming and enjoyable ride with little substance underneath, but sometimes, that’s all you need for a fun time at the movies.
Rating = 3.5/5
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