mosmanic

If you look at the premise of this series - one more examination of the daily lives of a bunch of suburban characters, most of them somehow related, chronicling their triumphs and disappointments - one could be forgiven for thinking that it's just another soap. After all, the line between upmarket soap opera and quality drama can be confusingly thin at times.

For mine, this definitely falls into the latter category. It's true that the story lines fall into the usual run of spousal tensions, generational issues, affairs, blended families and how the kids are affected, with associated logistical problems. But then, that's life, innit? You don't need to be in a train-wreck to have at least one phase of your life that resembles one.

The trick in making such well-worn stories worth watching anew is in providing moments of genuine drama, with authentic emotional reactions and dialogue that rings true for each character, with sufficient nuance to let us feel that we are they, and we know exactly what they're going through. Yes, perhaps some of the situations here are a bit familiar and obvious, but at least they don't all say the bleedin' obvious.

In the end, the main differentiator between the two genres is a well-wrought script coupled with an ensemble cast that's capable of doing justice to it. Not to mention having the restraint to avoid a closing shot of a character staring into the middle distance with the expression of a stunned mullet. And resisting the temptation to include an explosion or inferno to ramp up the stakes a bit.

On that basis, this is a fine effort. Good, thoughtful scripts, and excellent performances all round.

Romantic comedies are not everyone's cup of tea; after all, who would want to watch unrealistic stories about ordinary people 'coupling' when we are offered such wonderful everyday experiences as ten car pileups, hordes of people being slaughtered in a hail of bullets while shopping, goblins, explosions, vampires and intergalactic spaceships?

But the majority of women, and many of those men who do not see themselves as the Governor of California will surely find much to like in this charming eye-moistener.

Tales of this ilk can easily be mawkish, but this one largely avoids the trap, thanks to an intelligent script, the believability of the lead pair (as well as the supporting cast) and good pacing that leaves the denouement until the closing shot.

You know how with some movies, you wonder why and how they ever got made? This little stinker epitomises that question.

What a formula. Take two of the hottest (and most expensive) stars of the era and immerse them in a thin plot. Write a screenplay that beats the wispy plot into something that no one could believe in, least of all the actors (and it shows), while ensuring that there are no opportunities for them to use their skills. Dare to portray Mexicans as a bunch of bumbling hicks, and add some commonly used south-of-the border spices - superstition and miracle. Throw in three small chuckles and call it a comedy (King Lear has more). Make sure there is none of the romance that fans of your big stars crave, and would be happy to pay to watch time and time again. Oh, and make it unnecessarily long - if you're boring your audience you might as well bore them rigid.

For this film to be made at all, someone had to be returning a serious favour or sleeping with someone. If they'd filmed that, it would possibly have made better entertainment. The sleeping, that is.