A cheeky comedy about love's labor being well beyond lost, Born Romantic stutters out of the gate and never quite recovers. Perhaps it's the gaggle of local quips, jokes based on British television personalities, for instance, or the cameo-like nature of its ever-revolving cast, but director David Kane can't seem to sit still long enough to artfully set up his punch lines--anathema to a feature-length comedy. Set mostly in a London salsa club, the film trails behind a series of lonely thirtysomething singles as they search out one-night stands in the hopes of stumbling upon something more meaningful, namely love. As they shuttle to and fro in late-night minicabs, we're afforded insight into their shortcomings, past disappointments, shagging abilities, and ostensible charms, the cab serving as both confession booth and makeshift bedroom. Featuring a cast of recognizably talented faces, including Jimi Mistry (East Is East) and Olivia Williams (Rushmore), Born Romantic unfortunately never manages to shake its initial impression of being an inflated sitcom better pared down for television. --Fionn Meade
(15 votes)
2.
Scottish writer-director David Kane (THIS YEAR’S LOVE) directs his sophomore effort, BORN ROMANTIC, a bittersweet comedic ensemble piece about London lonely hearts struggling with the quest for love. Jimmy (Adrian Lester) is a Brixton cab driver, who, along with a pair of nameless co-workers (John Thomson and Ian Hart) offers philosophical musings and observations on love while ferrying a group of confused singles to and from a popular salsa club. Frankie (Craig Ferguson) is a Dean Martin wannabe looking to escape the sloping flat he shares with his angry ex-wife, while Eddie, a dimwitted thief, stumbles on the club when trying to outrun the police. Both men find themselves returning after meeting Eleanor (Olivia Williams), a cold, brutally blunt art historian to whom Frankie is drawn, and Jocelyn (Catherine McCormack), a nerdy, death-obsessed grave tender, who catches Eddie's fancy. Meanwhile, Fergus (David Morrissey) a failed rock-n-roller, begins a search for his long-lost love, Mo (Jane Horrocks), armed only with a list of her "likes": Bloody Marys, roller-skating, and the British Museum; to help track her down. Featuring a uniformly strong cast, Kane's film is a comedy that truthfully examines urban loneliness and the difficulties of finding and keeping love.
(15 votes)
3.
Six hopeless romantics take you for a dizzying spin through their quirky courtships in this breathlessly funny -- and sexy -- romantic comedy that'll leave you "smiling and believing that love really can conquer all" (Good Housekeeping)!
(15 votes)
4.
Born Romantic is a second slice of what David (This Year's Love) Kane does best: a quirky picture of contemporary London with young and variously screwed-up protagonists getting a second chance at love. This time, the premise is that there is a salsa club somewhere in East London where three boys meet three girls and things go other than smoothly until they actually take the trouble to learn to dance--and in case we didn't guess the metaphoric point of this, Olivia Williams' cold control freak lays it out for Craig Ferguson's Dean Martin obsessed retro-lounge singer at an early stage. The other central characters are Jane Horrocks as a party girl who is not exactly keen to pick up again with David Morissey, the man who jilted her years earlier and who has now come to London to make amends; and Jimi Mistry as an incompetent thief who falls for a neurotic grave-tender. Adrian Lester is the widower mini-cab driver who listens to all six moan about each other and dispenses wisdom on a regular basis; back at the cab office, Ian Hart rants misogynistically until Kenneth Cranham tells him he is wrong. The stylised and schematic script is redeemed by loud La tin music and an affection for these characters' quirks.
On the DVD: The DVD is generously filled with deleted scenes, the trailer and extended interviews with Kane and most of the stars: Horrocks and Williams in particular talk intelligently about the challenges and advantages of working as part of an ensemble cast. The recorded sound is just good enough to give the dance-club scenes a real energy. --Roz Kaveney
(15 votes)
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