BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

q_leo_rahman Love is not simple, as the film's protagonist Duncan discovers to his increasing despair over the course of five love affairs. It's something most people already know, however in this case the lesson comes in the manner of a satirical but dismal take on the classic British romance comedy. The film presents a tragicomic view at the world of dating, with Duncan having relationships with five women, all of which go bad. The first two don't get very far, the third comes to an acrimonious end through a dispute, the fourth runs out of steam, and the fifth is where the most drama comes in. This would be a bitterly bleak tale if it wasn't for Duncan's comic commentary: he presents the sad situation in a sardonic, sly manner that makes the situation funny for us, but retains its sadness and dignity where he is concerned. The fact that it's so true to life for a lot of people is the main appeal of this tale: a lot of us have trouble finding and being with people, and can get disillusioned at how difficult it gets.Brendan Patricks carries the film as Duncan, whose initially bright outlook on life slowly darkens and becomes more melancholy with each failed romance. The rest of the cast are more or less adequate, acting as subjects to explore a specific dilemma Duncan goes through; it may have been better for each of the girls to have given their own views so that they're less sketchy, but then the point is that Brendan doesn't understand their perspective, and so it works out in a painfully realistic and understandable manner. The film ends on a bleak note, with Duncan deciding to just move on with life and away from love for the sake of his sanity... and then the adventure continues, as he meets someone new. He represents the eternal lover in quest, through hope and despair, of an ideal soulmate to be with. And that's what most of us romantics are.

Lauren Racela Surprising. I wasn't quite sure what this movie was going to be like. In the beginning, it seemed to be a bit dark and cynical, but the attitude turned around and quickly became funny, witty, and interesting. The concepts in this movie are so dream-like and imaginative that I couldn't get enough of Duncan's little quirks. I also fell in love with the way the writers used everyday things to symbolize an aspect of Duncan's love life, like a pair of shoes or an avocado. This movie is, in a word, real. It's safe to say everyone can relate to this movie, and it's like 5 little stories in one. Honestly this film is fantastic and definitely worth watching.

iain-218 I think this film may not cross water - the Americans won't get the humour, and the Europeans will be wondering why we have to work so hard to get in to bed with each other (its why there are so many drunk British people in Spain, we can't do it sober).There are two aspects of the film which bring it to the top of the pile - the script and the cinematography. The script is not just tight and well-timed; its storyline is a fairly accurate, almost forensic, depiction of why we keep screwing up in relationships (that's a British 'we' of course). The imagery is fantastic, a clever mix of interesting/beautiful angles and variously styled animated sequences.The acting is good but not great, but perhaps that was an implicit theme within the film...very clever.

Miakmynov "You'll probably wind up sitting next to the cast and crew" suggested the marketing blurb on the Edinburgh International Film Festival poster; an unlikely overstatement I thought, until I went to this little gem of a film, and the bloke in the next seat along turned out to be the Directory of Photography. Indeed, a healthy smattering of the cast and crew pitched up for the film's second showing, and fair play to them for taking the trouble.I'm not really a great one for rom-coms, this was a definite wife-pick and I went in with limited expectations. However, it didn't take long for a fairly rapid re-appraisal. The basic premise - a series of takes on why some relationships don't work out from the perspective of a slightly geeky bloke (apparently, this is grossly unfair as my wife informs me that he's pretty hot stuff) – is not desperately original, but the manner of its execution is both well above the average and decidedly original.The film is crammed with witty and ingenious ideas – the Barbie doll vignette to summarise the 'girl on a plane' back-story is inspired, as is the Theme Park concept of a different ride for each girlfriend. Nice. The cameos are perfectly-pitched, in particular Michael Sheen and Johnny Ball, and the effervescent Vitamin C tablet fake ending was equally well-judged. The pace is fast and there's little, if any, slack in the tight script – indeed, if I had a minor grumble, it would be that I felt the film would have benefited from a little more time spent on character development of girlfriends 1-4.Effective as a comedy on a number of levels, it even managed to slot in some painful relationship truisms – the 'cereal box' effect at the start of a relationship, yet another clever idea – that had the audience chuckling in knowing appreciation.It left me wanting more, and I hope that commercial success beckons, because this film thoroughly merits it. 7/10 (which is admittedly a bit mean, and more down to me not really liking the genre).