Solitaire for 2

I watched this back in 96 (I think) on VHS. I was a student in those days, and Richard Curtis style romantic comedies based in twee shire towns or fantasy London Boroughs populated, of course, by loveable English middle class eccentrics, were still pretty much in vogue.

Solitaire for 2 differs slightly from the norm because our leading lady, Katie (Amanda Pays), happens to be a psychic with the uncanny ability to read minds. This makes forging a relationship rather difficult, given that she can finish other peoples sentences before they do and knows exactly what others (especially men, wink wink) are thinking.

As a premise, it's not a bad one. Unfortunately, rather than driving the plot, Katie's talent (or curse) quickly becomes a one trick pony that tires after half an hour. Katie may be attractive, and whilst the plot does raise issues about female objectification and male desire, I think it's a bit steep to assume that *every* bloke she meets would want to automatically sleep with her?

If anyone's interested, there's a cameo by long forgotten British band Right Said Fred. Otherwise there's little else to recommend an wearisome romcom that quickly outstays its welcome.

I watched this movie because I wanted to see Jason Isaacs. I was new to his movies and so wasn't overly familiar with him (outside of Harry Potter) and I had to watch the movie twice through to figure out which character was him. I was stunned at his lack of British accent. If it hadn't been for his eyes I STILL wouldn't have known it was him.

Anyway, as for the movie itself, I found it unrealistic, and the main character, harsh, bitter, and totally unsympathetic. She walks around for most of the movie with a horrid chip on her shoulder and how she ever got past this to enter into a relationship with her co-character I will never understand. Maybe it's the fact that I'm probably just a dim-witted American that doesn't understand British humor, but considering I love British comedies such as Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served?, Upstairs/Downstairs, and even Red Dwarf, I don't think so.

I just felt that this movie was badly written and not even good British actors could manage to salvage it.

This romantic comedy has a number of unusual ideas and very quirky characters, giving the whole thing a distinct surreal touch. There were enough good ideas in this film to put a really nice piece together, but sadly the film makers did not manage that.

First problem is the casting - the lead actors do not quite fit to their envisaged screen personas. Ms Pays is a good-looking woman, but not the gorgeous uber-babe suggested by several scenes, and Mark Frankel's charm lacked sophistication: more Italian waiter than Cary Grant. Generally both leads appeared rather unsympathetic which is a major crime in this genre. The writers also did not think the characters through carefully enough, e.g. one should think that an intelligent and rational thinking woman such as Katie would have come to terms with her telepathic powers in a less violent way.

A copybook example of why the British film industry is in a dreadful mess. Trite script mouthed by clever-clever cast, dull direction and unsympathetic characterisation, the list is endless. In here somewhere is a half decent movie idea - a character that can hear people thinking (What Women Want, anyone?)..but synor blows it. Avoid.

This movie is a pleasure to watch. Its pace, storyline and characters keep the viewer involved. The premise is almost cliché, but this particular movie brings a humanistic/realistic aspect. This movie reminds me a lot of Mel Gibson's 'what women want.' However, with major differences. First and foremost its made in the UK. This means that none of the Hollywood producers were involved. As a result the movie is honest and realistic instead of fake and over-hyped. Secondly it brings something like ESP to an everyday level. In one scene the main character, while in the company of her boyfriend, reads a mans mind and doesn't like what she 'hears' so she slaps the man and walks away. Of course the man is dumbfounded, so her boyfriend shrugs his shoulders and calmly states 'she's got ESP.'