Ferdinand2000

Everyone says "its a chick flick" as if that excuses everything. But this is a poorly done "chick flick" with none of the charm of its obvious inspiration, "Love Actually." I can live with a predictable plot, but do me the courtesy of dropping the utter schlock. Jude Law does a good job, but his character is just TOO perfect. He's good looking, sensitive, a good father, a "book editor", charming, funny, kind, and "has had a hard life" (he's a widower don't you know), and lives in a charming country mansion, with two well behaved charming children. The "director" is also "too perfect", sure he's a curmudgeon, but he's got moxy! Overall just very boring and trite.

Charming feel good story set during the Korean War. Hard to believe but true! The characters are easy to identify with, and draw you into the story. They are fairly believable, with the slight exception of the North Korean commander who seems perhaps too heroic. It verges on being trite or cheesy at times, idolizing the "quaint" village, but for the most part stays away from that. The film is even handed in its treatment of all sides in this war, other than perhaps the military command, as it is quite anti-war. There is a bit of violence and gore, so it isn't for young children. I would recommend this to anyone; go in expecting a fairly romanticized comedy and you shouldn't be disappointed.