found this movie to be very entertaining and delightful...the acting is excellent and the lead actresses are completely captivating....what a pleasure to be able to see a lesbian-themed movie with a storyline that parallels any straight love story.....with all the sexual tension, sexual chemistry, and positive presentation that straight people have been given from the dawn of cinematic history.....you will fall in love with the actresses....you will thrill to their budding love and consummation of that love.....this movie will haunt you when you leave the theater....you may even want to see it again....it won't win any awards like "brokeback mountain".....i realize that, but it will make your day.....
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dmschreib15 February 2006
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ScottDMenzel1 February 2006"Imagine Me & You" is not your typical love story. It is the story of a girl named Rachel (Piper Perabo) who is getting married to her long term fiancée Heck (Matthew Goode). At the wedding ceremony, Rachel locks eyes with the flower girl Luce (Lena Headey) and feels something that she has never felt before. After the wedding, Rachel invites Luce over for some dinner to thank her for such a wonderful flower arrangement and to help set up Heck's friend Coop (Darren Boyd) with Luce. Before dinner, Heck asks Luce if she has a husband or a boyfriend but to Heck's surprise he finds out that she has neither and is indeed attracted to members of the same sex. Heck shocked by the news, alerts Rachel. But Rachel seems to be uninterested in the news and just wants to know why she is so drawn to Luce. Funny and touching moments ensue
I was lucky enough to be invited to a free screening for this film. This is definitely a film I would have been happy to pay for. This movie is often funny but is never over the top. "Imagine Me & You" is definitely a breathe of fresh air when it comes to the whole romantic comedy genre. I think the whole new spin with homosexual love stories is helping this genre and allowing some fresh new material to be used.
I personally really like Piper Perabo. I first saw her in the movie "Lost & Delirious" which is a wonderful and beautifully told tale. After seeing that movie, I was blown away by her performance. But soon after she wasn't in much and kind of started to do bad mainstream movies like "The Cave" but now with "Imagine Me & You" I can say that she's back to where she belongs. Piper plays Rachel like the role was tailor made for her. Her performance is touching and believable. Matthew Goode also stars as the lovable and sensible husband. Again I liked Matthew Goode from the first time I saw him in "Chasing Liberty". Goode has definitely come a long way from "Chasing Liberty" and has proved himself to be a worthy addition to Hollywood as an actor. He plays a very likable but caring husband in this film. He is rather solid in his performance and delivers some nice laughs. Also Lena Headley is a joy to watch on screen and played her role flawlessly. I really liked all the performances including several of the smaller roles that I haven't mentioned.
I never heard of Ol Parker before I watched this movie. Mr. Parker was both the writer and director of this film. I personally think that Mr. Parker has a career ahead of him. The problem is will he be able to keep his movies as fresh as this movie? Mr. Parker did a great job capturing the true emotions of the characters and showing how hard it is to be something that isn't always acceptable by everyone. I really liked the director's choice of music as well. The Turtles song at the end really fit in with the moment.
Overall, I would have paid full price admission to see this movie and probably will go back to the theater sometime and see it again. I think the homosexual love stories will be a big hit and make people feel a little more accepting of someone's sexual choice. The movie is definitely a feel good movie with a unique twist and a good amount of laughs. At the screening, the film had a very good audience and was loved by most. People clapped and stayed till the end of the credits which doesn't happen that often. The movie made people laugh, cry, and overall feel good about life. "Imagine Me & You" is definitely a movie I would like to see more of in the years to come.
MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Imagine Me & You" is an 8/10. -
Imagine Me & You is a rather harmless romantic comedy with a great great cast. The setup has been covered to death but Piper Perabo and Lena Headey lock eyes during Piper's march down the wedding aisle and everything else in the movie plays out. I especially liked Matthew Goode's performance. The third wheel in a romantic comedy is always the most difficult but he pulls it off pretty well. Since all of this is in the trailer I'm not sharing a spoiler but when he breaks up with Piper he wants her to be happy, just happy with him you can sense his heart breaking. To paraphrase from the book "Love Monkey" sometimes the dealer looks at you and says, "You lost. Try your luck at a different table".
One thing, Imagine Me & You really isn't funny enough to be a comedy or serious enough to be a drama. It is a light fluffy slice of life about one woman's search for love. The problem with being true to yourself is the damage your search causes to the people you love.
I very much enjoyed this movie and hope you see it.
BTW The babe factor is extremely high with Piper and Lena but there is less objectionable material (other than content) than you would find on a PAX TV show. How can you have two drop dead chicks in a romance and not have a single bit of nudity? Hey maybe this was a tragedy? -
gringa_chola17 August 2006I am not here to talk about this film. I am FUMING because of the MPAA rating for this film. Rated R. ARE YOU KIDDING????????? This film was a harmless romantic comedy just like the millions out there: Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days- all of which are rated PG 13. I am so angry at the blatant discrimination in the rating of this film. Because it portrays lesbians FAIRLY (meaning, no one freaks out about their sexual orientation), it is rated R. And this might be no big deal. I mean, after all, we can all watch this film as adults. However, the blatant discimination makes me angry. And furthermore, making this film, like thousands of other films about LGBT people unavailable to a younger audience further isolates and "other-izes" LGBT people. Its not right.
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jotix10026 May 2008Rachel, who is preparing for her wedding to Heck as the story opens, shows she is not completely sold on the man she is about to say "I do". The flowers at the church and the reception have been lovingly arranged by Luce, who one guesses has an eye on the bride herself. It is easy to see the attraction, both are beautiful women. To make matters worse, Rachel has no clue as to what her life with Heck will be like.
Luce, is disarmingly honest. When Heck try to fix her up with their best man, Coop, she informs him she is a lesbian, something that takes him by surprise. Being an open minded person, Heck doesn't see the danger in the new friendship his wife develops for the florist. As it turns out, Rachel starts having doubts about her own sexuality. She sees in Luce someone who is more attuned with her than her own husband. Rachel realizes the mistake she has made; she too, is not dishonest about it and decides to let her husband knows how she really feels about a newly discovered trait she did not know about.
"Imagine You and Me", written and directed by Ol Parker is inoffensive enough not to raise eyebrows as it is never in your face and tries to play as a romantic entertainment. A fine cast was assembled for the film. Lena Headey and Piper Perabo do a credible job as the women they were asked to portray. Matthew Goode proves he is a solid comedian who is an asset in anything in which he appears. The excellent Anthony Head and Celia Imrie are seen as Rachel's parents. Darren Boyd and Sue Johnston are also good. -
saturnalia3313 June 2006Compared to other British Rom-Coms in the past, this one was easier on the senses, lacking the hoity-toity sensibilities of any film starring Hugh Grant. Nevertheless, the characters all came from upper-middle class backgrounds and not an ugly duckling between them. I'm figuring two good looking lesbian girls will probably swing a few male heterosexual bums on seats for women trying to drag their boyfriends along. Taking the plot with a pinch of salt is probably the best way to ingest this film and although enjoyable, it contains no twists and the direction to the end is obvious to viewers from the beginning. It is a pity that the movie is largely forgettable and one to watch on TV for a quiet night in. It's a shame that Britain cannot do romantic comedies without the upper-middle class London location recipe because there is plenty of other ideas out there worthy of backing.
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duffy-mn2 February 2006This movie is striking...I couldn't disagree more with the opinions that it lacks heart and conviction and is built up on too many clichés. Obviously with the genre it is difficult to avoid these things, but Ol Parker did a wonderful job breathing life into this love story. I walked in with very few expectations and left wanting to own a copy to watch again and again.
The characters, if somewhat two dimensional, are relate-able and passionate. Rachel is flawless, perhaps the best I have seen of Perabo (especially compared to her performance in her other lesbian film, 'Lost and Delirious'). The movie is worth seeing for her alone--she conveys with the simple wring of a hand or glance a thousand words. She brings to the part the giddy excitement of anyone who's ever been in love before, but at the same time deals with the obstacles of marriage and her newfound homosexuality in very real ways.
Matthew Goode also has a very praise worthy performance. In fact, most of the actors here really are excellent in their parts and their timing is brilliant. I laughed out loud multiple times and it was nice to see 'funny girls' on their own terms in the current Hollywood of 'Wedding Crashers' and 'Anchormen' where comedy is becoming routine and lackluster. Gotta love the British humor!
On a final note, this is an exceptional film in my eyes for the way it handles the lesbian theme. Parker is tasteful and human about it, making it about love more than anything else. This is the kind of atmosphere that makes you believe in love, whether you're gay or straight, and have faith that there is one person out there if only you'll keep your eyes open. -
e_v_lee13 January 2006I really enjoyed this film as I was sitting, well almost squatting, in an small Toronto art-house cinema last night. On reflection the acting was wooden, the plot was extremely predictable and there was almost no chemistry between the leading actors.
However, none of these are reasons not to see the film itself which is, in parts extremely funny and the cinema we were in 'erupted' in laughter many times.
Being an exiled Londoner, the film, which is shot in Primrose Hill, really tugged at the heartstrings. The films stars a cacophony of British comedy luminaries, including the excellent Anthony Head (the librarian in Buffy) who shows off his hilarious dance moves at the wedding and Sue Johnson of The Royle Family.
If you like your humour dry and dark, see this.
I'll leave you with my favourite line slightly paraphrased "Sex with old men is like playing snooker with a rope" -
A4refilpad14 June 2006Imagine Me and You is best described as delicate. Very simply this film is about love.
As a British romantic comedy, Imagine Me and You will always draw comparisons to films such as Love Actually, Notting Hill and Four Weddings and Funeral but the level of reality portrayed in these films compared to Imagine Me and You is one of the major distinctions. Glittery moments, such as the doorstep scene between Keira Knightley and Andrew Lincon in Love Actually, are few and far between in the film, but this is by no means a criticism. The film never lacks any tenderness, in fact quite the contrary as it creates a greater impression of reality because of less ostentatious cinematography and mise-en scene. Occasionally the film falls into the trap of representing a very American idea of Britishness. The characters are all upper class Londoners, attractive, well-off with successful jobs. The male characters are foolish, awkward, hapless 'twits' but this does not detract from the charm of the film.
The film follows Rachel (Piper Perabo) her fiancé/husband Heck (Matthew Goode) and their wedding florist Luce (Lena Heady) who immediately has an impact on Rachel leading her to re-assess her seemingly perfect relationship.
The film honours love of different kinds. The love between Rachel and Heck, who are married at the beginning of the film is never disputed or questioned, they were best friends and this developed into a quite obvious love and adoration between the couple. Rachel loves Heck, but she is not *in* love with him. However, with Luce, Rachel experiences the instant, intense, exciting, passionate, all encompassing love at first sight. The fact that Rachel is experiencing this with a woman is not the issue, but rather that the first time Rachel catches Luce's eye is on her way down the aisle.
Unlike other films of the same genre, the characters are well developed and multi-layered. The comedy is typical foot-in-the-mouth humour, and silly one-liners, but is delivered with impeccable timing mostly by the parents. (Anthony Head plays an excellent aged Hugh Grant character and Celia Imrie is wonderful as a prim and proper, sharp mother.) The other performances are subtle, with all of the tenderness, heartbreak, humour, intensity and confusion that the script asked of the performers.
Imagine Me and You has high production values, is written and directed with care and sensitivity the truth isn't over thought, over polished, or softened and is a refreshing modern representation of love.
But of course, most important for a British viewer - Piper Perabo's accent is remarkably good. -
pearlksp13 February 2006It is hard to know how to rate this one. On one hand it was completely predictable the way a Hollywood sitcom, or Hong Kong Comedy-romance, is, thus a 6 at best. In a way, it is a light, feel good movie that I enjoyed. It did the job it set out to do. It made me and everyone else I could hear around me laugh. It was pleasant. I am not sorry to have seen, don't regret the time spent on it thus an 8. But I wouldn't put it on a watch again list.
It's hard to put my finger on why I would give it as low as a 7. I can't say any actor was wooden nor was any scene choreographed poorly. I found the soundtrack rather overbearing and blaring over at times but that's a common enough aspect that is to someone's taste, just not mine. It didn't drag, didn't belabor, but didn't challenge. It wasn't violent, wasn't offensive, wasn't naughty, wasn't a tearjerker. It is sort of a formula pulp fiction (not the movie, actual pulp fiction). If you haven't seen Notting Hill, Me and You will seem fresher to you. Even though 2004's Saving Face was a romantic comedy of what would you do for love at first sight, is it real, the effect was totally different. But even from the trailer and posters of this one, I was set up for that.
But still it is a good movie. The writing was snappy, funny when it was supposed to be, oh-no! where it was supposed to be. No character was annoying, nor terribly developed either. The scenes were pretty, the actors acted well through connections and conflicts; the actors were all attractive, even if hard to tell apart as two lead ladies looked a lot alike.
They had it paced and set up so you cheer all the right people and all but it bore an uncanny resemblance to a Friends episode (except that here gay and interracial romances are assumed to be natural and as seamless as any other relationship not a punchline. That was nice to see.) There wasn't any silly nonsense of ew-old-folks-and-sex is gross and awkward like so many movies do. (That was a relief. )
I guess what dissatisfies me that not for a minute did I forget in You and Me that it was a movie or that I was in a theater. It didn't make me suspend disbelief. Even Crocodile Dundee was completely silly but I got involved in it in a way this didn't click.
It's a fun diversion. -
IrisGoeth23 April 2009When I watch a lesbian-themed film, I try really hard to like it. Because there are so few examples of this sort of story, where a lesbian relationship/romance/love is the main focus, I'm always eager to have a great time and praise it endlessly. However, I don't like to be fooled and, somehow, I feel fooled with this kind of movie.
Let me explain.
Because so many of us (lesbian and bisexual women) long for more visibility in the arts and in society as a whole, I think that in general we're more willing to accept any fair representation as a good one and give the film a high rating no matter what. In my opinion, though, that works against us. It tends to keep the standard low. Yes, Imagine Me And You is, I guess, cute in an über-conventional way: the actors are fine, London is charming, the main characters are of course incredibly beautiful (and there's the handsome and amazingly understanding guy for the bi-straight crowd as well!)... But really... Why should such laziness portraying a love story deserve so much praise? Because it's directed at a traditionally ignored or badly-treated group of people? Yes, thank you for that, oh dear producers and writers, but why not try and really sweat a credible lesbian love story the next time? Please???!!!
***WARNING: SPOILERS!!!***
A bride walks down the aisle, catches a glimpse of an unknown woman standing in the church and, KABOOM... she's so smitten that her long-time relationship begins to fade in earnest and her sexual orientation is... huh... where is it? Because, naturally, she had never seen and/or met and/or befriended an attractive woman before EVER in her life. Yes, I believe you can have a crush on someone you've never met before. Love at first sight? Maybe, maybe not, but that's not the point... We're talking about a 100% straight girl in her late twenties who all of a sudden, at the mere sight of an unknown female at her own wedding, becomes... confused... Childish? Well yes, but it's only human. If we were to buy it, of course. And we will, but only because we're starving for lesbian story lines, particularly successful ones where the more lesbian character doesn't end up dead or severely traumatized.
Then they fall in love. Oh, so unavoidable. What the Lena Headey character, who was an out and proud lesbian before and surely got to know and love a few interesting women (oh, her friend in the film, Eva Birthistle, would have been a MUCH better match!!!), sees in the character of Piper Perabo (of Lost & Delirious iconic fame -another film I can't totally see the point of-) is a mystery to me. They seem to have little in common. Their chemistry is, in my eyes, awful, although from other reviewers I find out this is very subjective. Their scenes together are, well... Hardly there. They get to kiss, thank God, but nothing else. No, I don't want porn or anything but some sexual tension and real longing would be a nice change! There's much more feeling when the superhumanly-good husband is there, trying to figure out what's going on.
The final reunion was, to me, close to an embarrassment. I'm sorry, I'm as romantic as the next person but I'm tired of those happy endings where a convenient song plays and they get together for ever after an hour and a half of pure air (ie: virtually nothing).
Then there's the husband. Such a nice, affectionate guy. We care about him. Who wouldn't? He doesn't even complain to his cheating lesbian wife once! Wow. I want one of those. Where should I buy?
***END OF SPOILERS***
I'm giving it a 4/10 because, deep down, I still want to support any lesbian story, even the most clichéd, innocuous, dull ones. It's hard for me to give less than that, because I'm always watching out for more. The main problem is, there's rarely more, just "more of the same". It's best summed up by what Ylene Chaiken, the brain behind The L Word, said when asked why not continue with the series: "I'll miss the community of The L Word, but I was personally ready for it to end. Jennifer Beals did joke that someday Bette and Tina would have grandchildren -- but I think all of us agreed that it was best to go while we were still relatively young and sexy." The idea that when a few typical lesbian stories like coming out, adopting or getting pregnant together, transitioning, getting over lesbian breakup etc. have already been more or less gracefully thrown in, there's nothing else to say and we better pack in is sad and unproductive. Heterosexual-oriented series go on for years and years delving into different and same plots and not having to justify their own existence. When we learn to do the same and to demand quality and genuineness, we'll have won much more than a quota of films per year. -
daxdsnine15 February 2006"Imagine Me & You" is everything a romantic comedy should be: charming, original, containing funny, delightful scenes, based on a good story (with no gigantic Hollywood clichés), and played by a great cast. The characters, main and secondary, are interesting.
I cannot say enough good things about the cast. Piper Perabo and Lena Headey are both excellent. And the same is true for the other members of the cast (Tony Head, Matthew Goode, etc).
The fact that there is a lesbian relationship made the movie quite interesting to me. But, really, I would highly recommend it to any people (straight or gay) who appreciate a feel-good, touching (but not sappy)well-done romantic comedy. -
sgor26 January 2006I received a ticket to a free screening of this film last night and am thankful. Thankful that I got to see it, and thankful that I didn't have to pay theatre prices to do so.
It isn't a bad film. Admittedly, the chief reason I decided to go was because I knew that Anthony Head was in it (of "Buffy" and "Little Britain" fame) and I'm a sucker for him. But I heard the film's premise and it sounded cute and the trailer looked funny. The good news is, the film is funny. I laughed aloud at several points and generally had an amused smile on my face throughout.
Where the film fails is in the interpersonal relationships of its characters. And unfortunately, as a romantic comedy, it was incumbent that it nail these. The basic premise, that at her wedding to her long-time love and best friend, a woman falls in love with the wedding's florist (who also happens to be a woman), it is utterly necessary that we believe that these two women are head-over-heels for each other in order for the film to work. And it never convinced me of that. For the life of me I couldn't understand why they loved each other. It felt like the film spent so much time making it funny and making sure you felt the bride's indecision that it forgot to tell us why she fell in love with the florist and why the florist, and her husband, fell in love with her.
Why I'm glad I went is because there were some truly terrific performances in it by the supporting cast. Particularly Boo Jackson as Rachel's younger sister and Matthew Goode as the hard-done-by husband. You felt for him in every scene. Head was also charming as always but showing range as a man who has just been getting by for the past forty years.
So I wouldn't shell out the ten bucks to see it in the theatre but I do think it is a worthy rental. -
sam_23567 December 2006First off I have to say that this film was a big disappointment. There was no characterization, and the sparse plot was fairly unbelievable - happily ever after with first same-sex relationship after 1 kiss and a bit of a grope? PLEASE!
The characters are all typical Hugh Grant types, where even the womanizers and dogs are pleasant and nice. But my biggest bone of contention was the London setting. Just what part of London are these people supposed to live in? Heck works in the City near Tower Bridge, lives somewhere close to Regent's Park (I think), and still manages to pop into the local florist during the working day. A florist which seems to be situated on some prime real estate, and is owned and run by a single person who makes her own deliveries at seconds notice - how does that work?
When they went out in the evening they DROVE? I don't know anyone who drives in central London when they live within spitting distance of WC1, and let's not even touch on the whole drink and drive combination that seems to have been going on here.
Nothing about this film rings true: not the 'love' of Heck and Rachel that led to marriage, not the 'happy' ending (we'll have the lesbian sex later, but I'm sure I'll like it, so don't worry about the whole me being straight thing), not the upper middle class Four Weddings world these people seemed to inhabit, and not the ability of all the working characters to be walking across parks and into florists in the middle of a working day.
It may work for audiences not familiar with London or English people, but you can only suspend belief for so long, before you want to toss something at the screen and shout 'Get Real!' -
jack-80516 March 2006I viewed this movie at the Maui Film Festival, Castle Theater. The cast is fabulous making every scene believable and real. The entire movie keeps your attention to the max and you cannot help but love all the characters. A beautiful reenactment of real gay love without all the language and Sex usually shown in a film of gay love. This film will do more to make the straight world understand and appreciate that there is another lifestyle that is not all sex, and weirdos. A far better look at a "Gay love story" than Brokeback mountain could ever hope to be. Don't miss seeing this film, Excellent cast, Great setting, and in addition, an excellent sound track.
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michaelRokeefe13 March 2007Ol Parker writes and directs a story of mixed love and fidelity to one's own heart. Follow your heart...even if it takes a second try. Rachel(Piper Perabo) and Heck(Matthew Goode)have spent a lot of time developing a love that contains respect, trust and understanding. A trying marriage from the very start. Walking down the aisle, the bride is stunned with a fleeting glance that turns into an infatuation like no other. Confused and lost, how does a newly-wed bride keep from feeling like she is betraying her 'meant-to-be', when she has to tell him she is in love with another woman. The other woman is Luce(Lena Heady), a beautiful florist, and Heck had no idea of his wife's leaning toward lesbianism. There is a satisfying ending. And watching the credits, you know that everyone is happy. The cast also features: Anthony Head, Sue Johnston, Darren Boyd and Boo Jackson.
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sondosmhussein11 March 2022Watching this 17 years later in a very different world but it made me smile. It's definitely too simple and not in the least realistic but i don't think it was really meant to be. I honestly think they just wanted to make a lesbian movie with a wedding involved and then took ten minutes to think of the rest of plot, love at first sight and all. Objectively doesn't deserve my 7/10 rating but subjectively made me happy and i think it could make other people happy too.
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scwaller11 September 2005I saw this film today at the Toronto International Film Festival and I really liked it. I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected plot (it didn't match my expectations based on the mini summary I read prior to seeing the film)....I won't elaborate since it will spoil the film for others. The only reason I give a 9 rating instead of 10 is that there were a few unrealistic and sometimes too predictable scenes, but this really didn't detract from the overall movie experience. The cinematography is really wonderful and the use of color and locations is really quite wonderful as well. I really enjoyed the panoramic views of the city of London. Anyway, compliments to new director on the scene, Ol Parker. I hope we see more from you in the near future!
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K3nzit3 January 2020Good performances and characters, but it is not deep enough to really be that interesting. Works as a "feel good" movie though.
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ScullyM26 January 2006I just went to a screening of this film at a local theater. I was ecstatic when I learned it would be available in my area. I've already secured tickets to two of the other showings.
I loved it! Absolutely fabulous!
I mean I came out of the theater thrilled (and dabbing my eyes) because it was way better than my expectations. I think it's one of the best romantic comedies that I've seen in a long time.
I'm so glad that it was made in the UK because the US would have drowned out so much of the sincerity. The film was great, really great. I connected with every character and loved each one. I was there and felt the pain, happiness, and love. I just loved it!
Piper and Lena have terrific chemistry which is undeniable.
I laughed, I cried... it moved me! Five stars!
A beautiful story that leaves you waiting and wondering when your soul mate will appear. -
misbegotten28 September 2008Imagine Me & You is a wryly amusing and well written romantic comedy set in London, in which the eyes of City worker Rachel (token American actress Piper Perabo, sporting a flawless British accent) and florist Luce (Lena Headey) happen to meet across the room at a wedding, and both instantly fall in love at first sight. The only problem is that it's Rachel's wedding...
Most rom-coms would solve this little obstacle by making Rachel's husband incredibly possessive and insanely jealous, or by revealing that he's having an affair, thus giving her the moral get-out clause enabling her to leave and find happiness with Luce. However, Imagine Me & You doesn't take this easy option. Instead, Rachel's hubby Heck (Matthew Goode) is as decent, caring, and honest a man as you could hope to meet. In any other movie, he'd be the one who gets the girl in the end. He truly loves Rachel as well, and the film doesn't shy away from the reality that he's going to have his heart broken.
There are a few quibbles: Out of the various supporting characters, Luce's best mate Edie and Rachel's quietly desperate singleton friend Beth make the strongest impression, but both bizarrely vanish halfway through the movie and are never mentioned again. I would liked to have seen more of them. And disappointingly, Imagine Me & You eventually reverts to rom-com conventions as it approaches the final credits, falling back on the tired and clichéd 'race against time' scenario for it's climax. But that aside, I have no complaints. -
EUyeshima23 August 2006The most impressive aspect of this frothy, underdeveloped 2005 romantic comedy is New Jersey-born Piper Perabo's flawless British accent. She is charming as is the rest of the cast, but they all seem to be working in a vacuum thanks to the rather generic efforts of screenwriter and first-time director Ol Parker. The story begins with the wedding of Rachel and Heck, a young straight couple, long-time best friends, where while walking down the aisle, she gets a glimpse of Luce, the florist her mother has hired for the event. Sparks fly between Rachel and the openly gay Luce, but of course, they deny their feelings for the sake of Rachel's marriage.
The inevitable clinch happens about an hour into the film, but it's a case of too little too late as Parker seems stuck on using tired movie clichés instead of generating real emotion. The one surprising angle explored effectively is the toll that the attraction between the two women takes on Hack. His struggles in dealing with Rachel's increasing emotional distance are quite poignant. Unfortunately, the rest of the plot is predictably eccentric in the same hit-and-miss way that recalls similar Brit trifles like "Love, Actually" and "Notting Hill". For instance, I particularly deplore the running gag of frustrated customers coming into Luce's shop, but I like how Rachel and Luce clandestinely run into a couple of gay men in the middle of a one-night stand in the park.
Both Perabo and Lena Headey as Luce make the love story reasonable though hardly electric, but they manage to convey the angst of their situation effectively. Matthew Goode is even better as Heck as he maintains the balance between nice guy and confused, cuckolded husband. Sue Johnson manages a few good moments as Luce's emotionally exhausted mother, but Celia Imrie and Anthony Head (whom I recall from the long series of pre-coital "Taster's Choice commercials back in the early 1990's) play more stereotypical characters as Rachel's parents.
Even the movie's title, taken from the opening line of the Turtles' 1967 pop hit, is second-hand, as Wong Kar-wai already paid tribute to the song in his more accomplished gay road film, 1997's "Happy Together". The double-sided 2006 DVD has an abundance of extras courtesy mostly of Parker, who contributes a self-effacing director's commentary track, an unusual "Director's Statement" about his motivation in making the film, and his explanations behind four deleted scenes that are featured. He, as well as Perabo, Headey and Goode, are also interviewed separately in brief, none-too-enlightening sessions. This feature is on the full-screen side of the disc, and the rest are on the wide-screen side. -
lisa2468sf20 January 2006It's so rare to see a film that actually shows people who have a conscience, and are able to truly love each other. This one breaks the mold in a way that is touching, funny, moving, and realistic. All of these characters are so likable, it's a pleasure to watch them. This is a very rewarding movie experience. The dialogue touched my heart, but not in a way that made me feel like I was being manipulated. So often films are "too cool" to show people who truly care about each other, but this one is brave enough to show that what really adds value to our lives is loving each other, and going for true passion is what keeps us vibrant.
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cleu_fergie21 April 2012Everyone has their guilty pleasures. Unfortunately for me, mine are the tasteless, cliché romantic comedies that Hollywood keeps churning out. Well that, and of course, Mean Girls. Imagine Me And You has just made it into my list of 'Guilty Pleasure Movies'.
In this movie, a newlywed bride (Piper Perabo) becomes infatuated with another woman (Lena Headey), who questions her sexual orientation, promoting a stir among the bride's family and friends. Then again the movie caption of "There goes the bride" and its poster is clearly misleading because one would assume that the bride runs off with someone else at the wedding itself. Nonetheless, no matter how cliché and boring the storyline is, it was a watchable movie.
There was very little deliberate, calculated development to the storyline at all. I felt that the movie focused too much on the bride's problematic relationship with her husband, rather than her risky affair with Luce. So, by the end of the movie when she runs off looking for the woman she loves (spoiler: they end up happy together. Who would've guessed?), I hadn't known that her infatuation had already turned into a full blown romance. The writing was pretty lacking in that aspect, but it was an interesting romantic comedy anyway. Well, the whole idea of a married woman falling in love with someone else at her wedding is a little exhausted, but I guess the writer thought 'I know how to twist things around! Let's make them lesbians!'
Alas, the soundtrack is predictable as well.
Honestly, I would give the movie a 5.5/10, simply because of the effort at trying to make this movie less uninteresting and more marketable. Also because this is a very 'shark week' movie, movies whereby women cry along to once a month with a pint of ice cream. As much as it pains me to say this, I think I'll be joining that group of women. -
rorynatkiel20 May 2007This is possibly the worst film I've ever had to sit through. Appalling script, ridiculous story line, badly acted and atrocious direction. The premise - that a newly-wed wife meets a florist who is hanging round at her wedding reception and then develops previously undiscovered lesbian tendencies is absolutely ridiculous. For a start I've never even seen a florist just milling around at a wedding reception. Things that would just never, ever, happen in real life come flying thick and fast, in an embarrassing series of set pieces some of which had me cringing so badly I had to cover my eyes, along with the obligatory product placement that comes with low-budget Brit-flicks (stopping for a wee at McDonalds on the way to the wedding? Oh please). It's full of the kind of stereotypical images of London that have been done to death already in far superior Merchant Ivory romantic comedies such as Notting Hill or Four Weddings. The dialogue is stilted and almost as unrealistic as the storyline. An embarrassment to British cinema.