Movie Review by: Mahzan Mahbob
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Martha meets Frank, Daniel and
Laurence is yet another blithe yet engaging romantic comedy
from Britain distinguished by the ingenuity of its intricate
plot and the appeal of its four stars. If you can't get enough
of films like "Notting Hill" and "Sliding
Doors," this picture is for you. Light and breezy, made
with feeling, finesse and a sure sense of humor.
Much of the film unfolds in
flashback as a distraught young man, Laurence (Joseph Fiennes),
pours out his heart to an admirably attentive and constructive
therapist (Ray Winstone). Laurence, who teaches bridge to
London matrons, is lifelong friends with Frank (Rufus Sewell),
a onetime child star on the skids, and Daniel (Tom Hollander),
an immensely successful pop music industry executive.
Ready to board a flight from
Minneapolis to London, Daniel is swept off his feet by a
beautiful young blond, Martha (Monica Potter). Turning on all
his considerable charm Daniel successfully conspires to get
Martha, London-bound but on another airline, shifted to his
flight--at a cost of $5,000.
Discovering that Martha is
fleeing a bad relationship and a dull job with only $35 to her
name, Daniel per-suades her to let him put her up at a posh
hotel, where he's to meet her for lunch the next day.
Understandably, Daniel is stunned when she stands him up, but
when he tells his sad story over lunch to his two oldest
friends, Frank, jealous of Daniel and his success, makes no
attempt to disguise his glee.
Right away we can see that a
lifetime spent in the midst of his friends' unending rivalry
has left the gentle Laurence chronically distraught and quick
to freeze up. And when in Hyde Park Frank encounters none
other than Martha, despondent and all set to return home, he
quickly figures out who she is and is overcome with joy at the
prospect of finding a way to trump Daniel resoundingly. But
why did Martha, clearly a lovely and kindly young woman, stand
up her rescuer and what has made her so despondent? Morgan and
Hamm make the unfolding of the film a significant part of the
pleasure in watching it. One vignette keys the next with a
consistent lack of predictability, with each development
dovetailing precisely, if unexpectedly, with all that has gone
before. Yet there is nothing mechanical about the movie, which
is driven by the nature and temperament of its characters, in
collision with one another and fate itself.
Soon we're caught up in their
destinies and start rooting for Martha to find some happiness
somewhere and for Laurence to get away from his bickering pals
long enough to develop some self-confidence. And when you find
yourself caring for people in a film it generates suspense as
to what their ultimate fates will be.
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