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 saw this movie because I am a huge fan of Dougray Scott and he certainly doesn't disappoint in this movie. And you could go a long way to find a sexier voice and accent than Dougray Scott's...he makes check shirts look sexy! I watched it on my computer while my 11 year old watched the TV...he wanted to know what I was laughing about, so I feel there was sufficient comedy to rate the romantic-comedy category. Perhaps I'm not as jaded as some, or just in the mood to be easily pleased, but even after watching it three days running there were still bits that made me laugh. The sub-plot of the soccer star's court case allowed for an excellent backdrop for Sam's 'my head is somewhere else' problems, it gave us insight into the friendship between Sam and Archie and showed us how Sam really only thought about himself...he did not even acknowledge that Archie had won the case for him, he just took all the credit. This movie will not go down as one of the all-time great movies but it will get plenty of playing time in my home...so that makes it a great film in my book.

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.

Alice (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a quietly beautiful nurse, is married to Sam, a hotshot lawyer. His best friend, Archie (Dougray Scott) is deeply in love with Alice, too, although he settles for friendship. On the eve of Valentine's Day, however, Archie sends Alice an anonymous valentine and some radish seeds. Alice is intrigued but, she starts thinking. How would Sam react if he received a valentine from an unknown source? Would he tell her about it, as she did with him? On her sister's urging, Alice does send Sam a romantic greeting card. In her presence, she watches as Sam reads the card and promptly stuffs it in his briefcase, with no acknowledgement. Huh. Alice goes further and buys a new cellphone. She promptly calls Sam and leaves a message that she, a mystery lady, is interested in him. Will Sam call back? And, is Alice treading into deep romantic waters? This is an intriguing movie, no doubt about it. The principal actors are very good, with Hewitt giving a very interesting character study as the supposedly sedate Alice. The production values, costumes, and setting are more than acceptable. But, it is the jarring inquiring into fidelity and how far one should go to determine the faithfulness of your partner that is most striking here. There are some very adult themes and scenes in this film and any viewer with serious scruples will not want to take a chance on it. That said, this is ultimately a love story and fans of this genre are always hungry for a new addition to the repertoire. For these folks, try this one as an evening's entertainment and wait for the more typical romcoms that are sure to be churned out every year for a less controversial view.