Just like the other comment above, I had never heard of this film before but saw it (twice!) on the in-flight entertainment of a long flight back from down under. The overall feeling of the film is a bit like a condensed John Irving novel (Hotel New Hampshire): a sprawling storyline concerning an eccentric family with delightful sub-plots involving the births, deaths and loves of the various members. But because the film works on a much smaller scale than a huge doorstop novel, the characters are developed very economically in the film. However, thanks to an absolutely inspired bit of casting, with the likes of Jeniffer Tilly and Brenda Blethyn as the dying mother, the film works extremely well. And of course the chemistry between the two leads, Jude Law and Gretchen Mol, is undeniable and provides much of the appeal of the film. An absolute must see love story which skips beautifully over the potential cliches of the genre, and will have you laughing and crying in equal measures.
