The Love Punch

Written and directed by Joel Hopkins, The Love Punch follows divorced couple Richard (Pierce Brosnan) and Kate (Emma Thompson) as they team up to steal a pricey diamond from a callous businessman – with the film detailing the pair’s preparations for and execution of said heist. Filmmaker Hopkins has infused The Love Punch with an almost unreasonably lighthearted feel that’s evident right from the word go, and it’s clear that, for a while, the movie is about as breezy and entertaining as Hopkins has surely intended – with the effervescent atmosphere heightened by charming work of stars Brosnan and Thompson. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that the actors’ chemistry together is palpable.) But the film, which has essentially been geared towards one’s parents, can’t sustain its playful vibe for much longer than about a half hour, as the narrative begins to seriously run out of steam past that point – with Hopkins’ continuing efforts to liven up the proceedings (eg there’s even a car chase!) only compounding the progressively tiresome feel. The inclusion of several eye-rollingly hackneyed elements (eg a song is interrupted by an honest-to-god record scratch) paves the way for a heist-focused third act that’s just not very interesting, while the nigh interminable final stretch, devoted to Richard and Kate’s will-they-or-won’t-they-reunite antics, ultimately confirms The Love Punch‘s place as an underwhelming and forgettable endeavor that squanders the efforts of its charismatic leads.

** out of ****