DVD Review: Pierce Brosnan Shows You How To Make Love Like An Englishman In LESSONS IN LOVE
Lessons In Love (aka Some Kind of Beautiful/ How to Make Love Like an Englishman) is a light and breezy romantic comedy that sees Pierce Brosnan exude effortless charm as Richard Haig, a womanising lecturer whose life hits a major bump when his much younger wife (Jessica Alba) runs off with another man (Ben McKenzie). This causes his life to spiral out of control, and further complications ensue when his sister-in-law (Salma Hayek) and father (Malcolm McDowell) take an interest in his woes.
Tom Vaughn’s film is a fun diversion and the cast deliver energetic performances in this old-fashioned comedic farce. This is the type of movie where you can see the actors kicking back and having a good time. Is it far-fetched? Yes, but it’s an old-school screwball comedy that harks back to the type of film Cary Grant was so good at delivering.
The key to the movie is Pierce Brosnan’s charismatic swagger. The former James Bond knows his way around this sort of material and he’s really able to improve the moments that might not work with another actor. Brosnan is always able to give an impressive comedic performance and he does that once again with this Malibu-set flick. He cut his teeth with this sort of delivery way back in Remington Steele and he’s only improved over the last three decades. Lessons In Love once again gives Brosnan the opportunity to spar on screen with Salma Hayek. The pair were so good together in Brett Ratner’s much underrated 2004 crime-caper After The Sunset and maybe this will set things in motion for yet another onscreen team-up.
Lessons In Love hits the mark in delivering a few good laughs and fun moments. It’s a light-weight piece for sure, but it’s also a tremendous amount of fun. It’s worth catching if you’re a fan of the cast or if you simply enjoy a good romantic comedy – which is something you rarely get these days.
