The Truth About Love

Watching TRUTH ABOUT LOVE (is this a double entendre about the star?) is like plugging in white noise or manufactured water sounds to help you sleep - you put it in the DVD slot because there is nothing else left on the store shelves and you are in need of distraction after a hectic day. And it works for that for that purpose: being a British romantic comedy it is a bit more.

The story is a rather simple one about a wife Alice (Jennifer Love Hewitt) married to an increasingly distant husband Sam (Jimi Mistry) who has put their love life on hold due to the burdens of his busy law practice. His partner Archie (Dougray Scott) is fond of both Sam and Alice, but has a longtime attraction to Alice that goes beyond friendship. Alice pals with her sister Felicity (Kate Miles), a free love advocate, who encourages Alice to have affairs. On Valentine's Day, after a drinking binge with her sister, Alice mails a card to Sam signed 'Anonymous' as a test to see if Sam responds, testing his fidelity. At the same time Archie mails a radish seed packet to Alice on which he has inscribed a suggestive love not. Both have ex post facto regrets. Sam in fact is spending time with a lover Katya (Branka Katic) and is indeed cheating on Alice. Alice arranges assignations with Sam via email and phone calls and plans to meet Sam in disguise as 'Anonymous' to test his fidelity. The entire cast of characters gets caught up in the silly charade and the ending proves that real love must be based on truth - and how that results in the various pairings is the surprise (of sorts) of the fluffy script.

British comedies work because of the quality of writing and the tight quality of acting. Perhaps had director John Hay elected to cast a British actress as Alice instead of pasting a phony accent on Jennifer Love Hewitt the result may have been improved. But in the end this story by Peter Bloore bounces between mildly humorous and pathetic in its messages. One terrible distraction is a musical score that is consistently so loud that it covers all the dialogue and is intrusive. There are some nice scenes of London and a few moments of passable humor, but in the end this little film is truly best utilized as background music/white noise. Grady Harp

I admit that I had a teeny weeny part in this film made in 2004 but I didn't get to see it until early August 2006 on DVD. Even though I am in it I must say that I think some of the bad reviews are mean spirited and downright unfair. Above all there are some very moving scenes from Jennifer Love Hewitt (who when I met her in Bristol came across as having an unbelievably lovely personality being a wonderful ambassador for Americans). The scene where she cuts up the hubby's suits shows some heartbreaking facial expressions which any female who has been cheated on will empathise with. The actress playing the artist/mistress gave a cracking performance too - great accent and venom portrayed. I am not surprised it was such a big hit in South Korea. I watched it having read bad reviews and feeling disappointed that it hadn't gone big screen - but when I saw it I was pleasantly surprised. I do so hope directors will use Jennifer Love Hewitt's talents in more films. It also reflects contemporary Bristol so well - great shots of the Suspension Bridge & interiors of our modern buildings. It reflects the nuances of "love" in the early 21st century and future generations will enjoy it for that reason rather in the way we smile when we look back at representations of Victorian "courtship" and love.

Whattt was with the sound? It sounded like it was all dubbed.

Otherwise, bad. Plot = bad. Accents = bad (even Dougray, and we live in Scotland), Acting = bad, Harp = bad, Sex scenes - bad/cringeworthy.

Still, we watched it until the end in disbelief. How could such a good roll call of actors perform so badly? Will they ever get a decent job again?

Bad, Bad, Bad. By the way, we gave it 3 because we at least were enticed to watch it to the end due to its bizarre plot, etc.

And to the older reviewer - I totally agree, it was like a romantic farce from the 1940s. How did it get made in 2004?

OK, OK, there were some OK bits. They had a nice house in Bristol. Dougray had a nice boat. Jennifer looked nice in a little outfit. But how come the sister got all the men?

I just watched this movie and while it's not the best thing I've ever seen it was a cute romantic comedy. Can't say that I saw any of the goofs that have been mentioned -- but then I wasn't looking for them. Or maybe the DVD copy I rented had been edited/fixed. Some of the nice things from my perspective: 1) Nice location shooting - I think it was Bristol. It had a different feel from the usual London setting and was very well photographed for the most part. 2) The leads were just fine - it was good to see Dougray Scott sporting his native (at least I think it was native)Scottish accent(it's an American thing :)and I have to say I do like Jennifer Love Hewitt. It did seem like her accent may have been looped at the beginning (the tone of the soundtrack suggested it)maybe to give her a better chance to nail the dialect, but overall I do think it was her. And while I think she needs a bit more seasoning/maturity as an actress, she has a very expressive face and natural way about her on screen -- and that's got to be a plus. So, if you just want a kick-back, lazy day on the sofa movie this is worth 90 minutes of your time.

I enjoyed "The Truth About Love"because frankly it evokes memories of the improbable romantic comediesof the thirties and forties (with the addition of cell phones and phonesex to give it a contemporary touch). It's comparable to films like TheAwful Truth and Bringing up Baby, though not quite of theirquality. I liked the fact that the three main characters, the husband,the wife, and the best friend, were very distinctive -- that they didn't have the dreadful sameness of the looks of some of today's Hollywood leading men and women. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry and Dougray Scott deliver good performances in this screwball comedy. When I select a movie to watch, I don't always require a blockbuster film with a perfect script, just one that is pleasant and fun to watch. The Truth About Love was just right for middle of the night viewing.