The Surprise Party

First things first: this film was obviously made for a tiny fraction of the budget most Hollywood films get. Sometimes there are errors. The colour balance wobbles and every now and again you can spot the shadows or reflections of members of the crew.

It's also mostly an unknown cast. Colin Ferguson is the nearest thing the show has to a star but is probably to be remembered mostly for his turn in the ill-fated US version of Coupling.

Finally, the film is in danger of veering towards vanity-project territory, with Garrett Rice not only nabbing writer, producer and director credits, but also playing in the band that provides the songs.

Fortunately, none of that really matters - it's a charming, if rather lightweight, story that neatly transposes many of the usual chick-flick conventions.

It's also (perhaps a little surprisingly) really quite funny. Some characters are there "just for laughs" - our hero's geeky housemate, for example - but unlike certain other films of the genre, they don't start to irritate after about five seconds of screen time.

But ultimately, it works because it's believable and the performances are honest: you can see and sympathise with our hero's anger at his betrayal, then his frustration at the realisation that he still wants the girl. It's an uncomplicated, undemanding film but an entertaining one.