It is hard to review a film when the focus of the story can’t be revealed because it’ll spoil the fun, but suffice it to say Fox Searchlight’s British romantic comedy, Imagine Me & You, is a film about love at first sight, unrequited love, platonic love, love that hurts, and love that saves you.  First-time writer-director Ol Parker takes some real-life experiences, puts them in a blender, and concocts a funny, sometimes sweet, sometimes thought-provoking gem of a movie with characters that genuinely engage, even though at times you may want to slap some sense into them.

The film stars Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, Cheaper By The Dozen I & II) as Rachel, a typical British thirty-something finally tying the knot with her long-time childhood love, Heck, played by the likeable Matthew Goode (Chasing Liberty, Match Point) who, at least in this film, looks and acts like a British version of American TV’s Ed (Tom Cavanaugh).  As Rachel is heading up the aisle at their wedding, her eyes grab a glimpse of another and from that moment something changes inside her as she begins to question her love for Heck.  

Imagine Me & You isn’t a great film, but it offers a refreshing take on classic romantic comedy, of which I can’t explain, unfortunately.  The film is packed with plenty of the charming moments and sheer electric sparks found in the best romantic comedies, such as Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, and Adam’s Rib.  In most genres, a film doesn’t really need a big star to make the film good or even exceptional, but in romantic comedies I believe it sure helps, and romantic pairings such as Tracy & Hepburn, Day and Hudson, and Hanks and Ryan turned mediocre stories into classics.  Piper Perabo is a likeable enough lead, but my feeling is that a bigger star, such as Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, or Drew Barrymore, could have elevated this film to a higher level.  It’s understandable that a first-time director doesn’t have the street cred to attract big names, and it is possible to enjoy this film as presented.

The comedy is very British and with a cast mainly from BBC comedies, some of the humor may leave you shaking your head. But for the most part, the script relies on universal musings of relationships that everyone on both sides of the pond can enjoy.

In some respects, Imagine Me & You is like the light comedy companion to another issue-stretching romantic film in theaters right now, but I can’t see this little picture causing any furor, which takes me back to the problem of revealing too much.  All I can say is this is definitely a chick flick in more ways than one but a film that I think even your date will enjoy, whoever that may be.

You could easily place Imagine Me & You with all those other British romantic comedies of recent memory like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually, but only time will tell if it’ll play as much on cable as it seems those films have (see star power above).  The rest of the cast is serviceable with two standouts, Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm, Ripley’s Game) as florist Luce who looks for love in all the wrong places but finds it when least expected and newcomer Boo Jackson as Rachel’s eight-year-old sister ‘H’ whose smart charm deserves her own pre-teen romantic comedy.

With all the heavy-handed, Oscar-nominated films out there now, Imagine Me & You is a delightful escape that’ll not only make you smile and chuckle but make you think about what romantic love means in today’s ever-changing world.

Imagine Me & You opens in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco on January 27th and on February 24th nationwide.  Rated PG-13.  93 minutes.  Released through Fox Searchlight.

Rich Burlingham