Imagine Me & You

It almost comes as a shock to discover that Richard Curtis has absolutely nothing to do with Imagine Me & You, as the film plays out like just the sort of British romantic comedy that Curtis has cornered the market on (eg Love, Actually, Notting Hill, etc). The movie has instead been written and directed by Ol Parker, a filmmaker who packs the story with all the expected cliches of the genre (eg the bumbling character who produces some unexpectedly appropriate advice at just the right moment, the fake break-up, the chase sequence in which a spurned lover attempts to win back their beloved, etc). And yet it’s easy enough to overlook such things, thanks to several exceedingly charming performances and Parker’s bright, colorful sense of style. The story revolves around newly-married couple Rachel (Piper Perabo, sporting a surprisingly convincing British accent) and Heck (Matthew Goode), who encounter a stumbling block when Rachel finds herself falling for another woman (played by Lena Headey). Parker also throws in several likeable supporting characters, including Rachel’s well-meaning father (Anthony Stewart-Head) and Heck’s playboy friend – all of whom, as expected, receive happy endings of their own. Imagine Me & You doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre – well, except for the whole lesbian thing – but this is the sort of movie that’s almost impossible to all-out dislike (provided one approaches it with the appropriate mindset).

**1/2 out of ****