This Time Next Year

I was so excited to watch this movie. Cheesy romcoms are my treats for lazy Sunday afternoons. The director of the movie worked on all my favorite UK rom-com movies (Love Actually, Notting Hill, About a Boy). John Hannah and Monical Dolan are top rate actors. Loved her in Sherwood. For some reason, they made her wear a strange and stupid wig but I digress.

The premise of the movie is pretty typical and the side characters were alright. So what could possibly go wrong? The main character Winnie was comically bad. Her over the top whinging and whiny was so annoying I had to stop watching after about 30 minutes.

Strange experience - the main girl is playing Keira Knightley (why?). This film has really good cast so the quality of writing, directing and filming is a little disappointing. Although it is much better than any of the American Christmas Netflix productions it is also far too long. The mothers of the main characters however are a triumph! It's worth watching just to enjoy their performance. The ending is better than expected though, so if you have nothing better to do you may as well enjoy this romantic comedy/ Christmas movie but I doubt it will join the classics - nowhere near the quality of the Holiday or the Last Christmas.

Director Nick Moore brings us the adaptation of the novel by Sophie Cousens who also wrote the script for the film in which we are left with one of those pleasant and sweet romantic comedies that meet expectations.

The main characters are the beautiful Sophie Cookson and the handsome Lucien Laviscount, who share their chemistry so that we can enjoy their beautiful love story on screen, which the main couple makes fit perfectly with their complicity and dedication. We also have a good supporting cast that offers outstanding moments, in which John Hannah, Monica Dolan and Golda Rosheuvel stand out.

A well-crafted story that, as it progresses, meets all the requirements to enjoy those British romantic comedies that we like so much; it doesn't strive to give what it doesn't seek to give and pleases the viewer with the right doses of having a simple, fun and well-made film without aspiring to be among the best in history.

It offers drama when necessary, it offers sympathy when it is worth it and it offers romance when we need it, a well-constructed film that allows itself to have references to great classics and also knows how to mix themes that touch the precise keys to enjoy a correct proposal of living love.

Charming characters, a believable and enjoyable romantic story with that touch of British humour that pleases everyone. A weekend film to enjoy with the family and above all for lovers of a genre that is always, always enjoyable to watch.

Come on Britain, you, who has given us Notting Hill, Bridget Jones, Run Fat Boy Run, About Time, Sliding Doors, Man Up and so many more.... R E A L LY? This romance is unoriginal, unconvincing and shallow. It even sucks the usual "romcom character stereotypes" that would make any failing brit romcom bearable.

Let's start with our Heroine: A frighteningly skeletal looking, badly dressed, "plain Jane" would not be just a plain Jane, in a good romcom. Cookson is not charming and so amateurish in her acting that i blame the Director, Nick Moore, to let this pass.

It might have helped if the filmmakers injected some underlying glam in her terribly shabby dressing and hair style.

The makers also missed out to portray the "eccentric best friend" with the usual originality.

Instead, she is drowned in wigs, uttering boring gaffs and dressed like a character from Charlie's Choc Factory.

I must say the display of bad wigs wont end here, and that the plot is even worse than the wigs. However the male protagonist, Laviscount, will make it worthwhile to suffer this story through. He has more relatable performance and the right amount of vulnerability, he even tackles the chemistry if only.....

To preface this review, usually I love a good rom-com. But this movie had a thin, senseless plot and a really bad case of overacting that it just wasn't very enjoyable. Sophie Cookson, playing the lead and unlucky character Minnie, was unfortunately so dramatic and squeaky it became annoying. The actor playing Quinn, Lucien Laviscount from Emily in Paris, was slightly more understated but still was exuding borderline school-play level acting. I would hope it was a result of poor direction, as I don't remember this poor acting in their previous works that I've seen. The supporting cast were just okay.

Beyond the acting, I just don't think the plot translated very well into a movie, like it couldn't create a balance between whimsy and realism. It definitely wasn't nailing being a comedy. I haven't read it, but perhaps the book was better.

Either way, maybe the film just wasn't my cup of tea and others will enjoy this type of cheesy acting and direction. If you don't though, I'd give this one a skip.