Solitaire for 2

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.

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.

In England, Daniel and Lucy are living together, but one day Lucy decides (while we listen to depressing classical music) that it's time to go.

Daniel teaches professionals about body language. We first see him at work in a place called The Self Centre. And paleontologist Katie happens to be there that day, speaking to a group of scientists. Daniel is attracted to her, but Katie keeps hitting him every time he flirts with her.

The truth is that Katie wants a man, but she knows what they are all thinking. And she's tired of men who are only interested in her appearance. She wants men to like her for her intelligence.

Daniel keeps getting pulled over for speeding by the same female cop. Katie's co-worker Sandip Tamar, at what appears to be a large university, seems to appreciate her for her mind.

Will Daniel ever find a woman? Will Katie ever find a man? Will they end up with each other?

Harry is Daniel's best friend, and he is married to Caroline; they have a daughter Clare. Parris is one of Daniel's more nervous students.

I thought this was intelligently written, and Amanda Pays gave one of the better performances out of a fine cast. Katie didn't always react in the expected ways, and this was more than just a formula movie. This might not appeal to those who enjoy mindless sitcoms and popular films that the critics hate. But it might just work for those who go to independent theaters to see films no one ever heard of.

There was a lot of good classical music, though I didn't necessarily like all the music there was. Some of the music was contemporary, high-energy pop.

A couple of scenes stand out, even if they weren't laugh-out-loud funny. In one, we can hear the thoughts of all the lecherous men in one bookshop. I don't know Katie's reaction because that's one of the times the sound went out. In another, there are balloons and the band Right Said Fred. I'd rather not say what that was all about, because it could be considered a spoiler.

For me, this was a challenge to watch, because it could be boring at times, but there was enough here to make it satisfying.

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.

The main character (played by Amanda Pays) is arrogant, boring, violent and has absolutely no respect for anybody's privacy. She claims that her ability to mind read is a curse, but I found it hard to sympathise with her considering that she'd have no qualms about exploiting her 'curse' for her own ends.

I like most of the romantic comedies that I've seen, but this movie is barely romantic and nowhere near as funny as it should be. This is a shame because the plot had the potential to be very entertaining.