Mrs. Jones

Harmless bit of bland, implausible romantic fluff for the gals. Its an example of why I stopped watching "Masterpiece Theater" years ago; also it is targeted squarely at the primary fundraising-base for PBS these days, which is middle-aged women.

Robson Green once again does his patented squinty-eyed turn as a quirky younger man romancing an older woman; he doesn't have very many years left to play this type of character. He certainly does have that mysterious key quality where you can't take your eyes off him on-screen; however I always wonder what serious actors really think of him. I was surprised here that the production didn't bother to disguise how short he is (much shorter than his female-lead romantic interest).

The only other interesting actor is Michael Maloney, but his one-note character gives him nothing to do but look pained all the time.

"Me and Mrs. Jones" is a warm, quirky, and sexy romantic comedy. It could have been great, a classic, but it's merely good. That's better than bad! Liam Marple (Robson Green), a shiftless, conscience-free, tabloid newspaper hack, meets and falls in love with Laura Bowden, England's troubled female Prime Minister (Caroline Goodall). Their romance is destined, as the PM says, to "end in tears," and the script's twists and turns kept me guessing as to whether the leads would get together or not.

Viewers of Hollywood movies assume right up front that romantic comedy leads end up together, but this is a British movie, and the Brits gave the world boiled beef and soggy vegetables, and they are not afraid to tack a tear jerker ending onto a romance; that's certainly happened in Masterpiece Theater before. So ... you really can't be sure till the final frame what will happen.

Whatever charisma is, Robson Green has it. You can't take your eyes off of him. I can't nail down what it is -- in some shots he looks hideous, while in others, he looks matinée-idol, or romance-novel-cover-model, handsome. He's always compelling.

Some viewers said that the film seemed "unbelievable." I beg to differ. "Me and Mrs. Jones" is worth watching for a scene, early on, where Liam asks Laura to dance. The heat they generate while dancing is remarkable. And neither is much of a dancer. It's entirely believable that any woman with a pulse, finding such powerful chemistry in the arms of a stranger, would take great risks to pursue the relationship.

Caroline Goodall, though, was never believable to me as the Prime Minister. She did not convey power, competence, or passion for a cause. Rather, she appeared afraid, coquettish, or snippy, by turns. She would make a great career woman, but this isn't a career woman; it's a leader of the free world.

Oh, for a performance such as Katherine Hepburn was able to give -- to convey power, passion for a cause, and sexiness, all at the same time. Or Audrey Hepburn, in, for example, "The Nun's Story," or Rosalind Russell, in "His Girl Friday." Too, the script is a bit muddled. Any movie with three separate endings is going on too long and not doing so very gracefully.

For all its imperfections, though, "Me and Mrs. Jones" is worth viewing for romantic comedy fans. The dance scene between Robson Green and Caroline Goodall alone is worth several viewings.

Robson Green proves once again he's hard to resist - even if you're the British Prime Minister.

In "Me and Mrs. Jones," a reporter, Liam Marple, goes after a hot tabloid-type story on the standing Prime Minister (Caroline Goodall) as she awaits the upcoming election. He does this at the behest of his ex-girlfriend (Keeley Hawes). After forcing a friend to take him to a party, he meets the Prime Minister, they dance, and there's an instant attraction. She is married at this point in name only to Richard Bowden (Philip Quast). The two wind up having an affair, which complicates Liam's plans for a tell-all. She knows him under another name and he's fallen in love with her.

Delightful, sexy story, absolute fantasy, with two attractive leads and a twist that's not really much of a twist at all, 11 years later.

Just watch it and enjoy it for the romance that it is.

If you have a chance to catch this on Masterpiece Theatre, I strongly recommend it. The leads are attractive and many of the supporting cast are entertainingly quirky. As in an earlier Masterpiece Theatre, "Reckless", Robsen Green is attracted to a married woman. This time the stakes are higher because the woman is the Prime Minister and Green is a reporter trying to get a scoop. Even though Harry Fletcher is such a rogue, you can't help hoping true love will win.

I didn't know who Robson Green was until I'd seen the "Wire in the Blood" series. I did know Caroline Goodall. I have seen her in several things. She is a great actress.

This is a very predictable story of a tabloid journalist, Liam Marple(Robson Green), who is given the assignment to find something dirty on the interim Prime Minister, Laura Bowden(Caroline Goodall) after the death of the previous Prime Minister.

Using the name Harry Fletcher, Marple takes Bowden on a whirlwind romance, inadvertantly falling in love with her in the process. Marple does find the "dirt" in the family, but in an unique altruistic action, Marple reveals his true identity. After Bowden discovers who he really is, she breaks off their relationship.

But as Liam says in their final meeting; "Boy gets girl, boy loses girl. Then they realize they can't live without each other and fall into each others arms and live happily ever after."

She counters with; "How about boy smiles at girl and girls smiles back, then the boy says goodby and disappears from her life forever."

All of the quotes are paraphrased, but I do recommend this movie if you want some harmless, romantic fun.