Peter Sanderson is a divorced attorney who still loves his ex-wife and can't figure out what he did wrong to make her leave.
Peter's trying to move on, and he's smitten with barrister he's been chatting to online.
When she comes to his house for their first date, she isn't a lawyer. Instead, it's Charlene, a prison escapee who's proclaiming her innocence and wants Peter to help her clear her name.
But Peter wants nothing to do with her, prompting Charlene to turn Peter's perfectly ordered life upside down, jeopardising his efforts to get back with his wife and win a very prolific client.....
What could have been just another formulaic comedy about two people who couldn't be more opposite if they tried, is lifted from the mundane thanks to the wonderful performances from Martin, Latifah, and a scene stealing Levy, as the straight laced jive talking wannabe boyfriend.
Martin has done this role a dozen times before, and here, he goes for the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach', and for a film like this, it's perfectly fine.
It's always fun to see the atypical middle class American man become an almost nervous wreck because someone has disrupted his perfect life.
And here, Latifah is that someone, and instead of making her the stereotypical loud mouth from the 'hood', the writers have rightfully made her character three dimensional, and very likable to boot.
The comedy here sometimes verges on the offensive, for example, Betty Whites character is totally unnecessary as the casual racist, but obviously, the writers wanted her to be more of an ignoramus, rather than how she is depicted, and it just doesn't sit well.
Plowright pops up as the potential client, and again, although she is very good, the scene when they are having dinner, stinks of casual racism.
I know it's not the writers intentions to make this film quite uncomfortable at times, but the film can laugh at itself on occasion, and the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful.
If your a Martin fan, this is a must, he recaptures the magic he had in the eighties, and this could be the last good thing he ever did.
Peter's trying to move on, and he's smitten with barrister he's been chatting to online.
When she comes to his house for their first date, she isn't a lawyer. Instead, it's Charlene, a prison escapee who's proclaiming her innocence and wants Peter to help her clear her name.
But Peter wants nothing to do with her, prompting Charlene to turn Peter's perfectly ordered life upside down, jeopardising his efforts to get back with his wife and win a very prolific client.....
What could have been just another formulaic comedy about two people who couldn't be more opposite if they tried, is lifted from the mundane thanks to the wonderful performances from Martin, Latifah, and a scene stealing Levy, as the straight laced jive talking wannabe boyfriend.
Martin has done this role a dozen times before, and here, he goes for the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach', and for a film like this, it's perfectly fine.
It's always fun to see the atypical middle class American man become an almost nervous wreck because someone has disrupted his perfect life.
And here, Latifah is that someone, and instead of making her the stereotypical loud mouth from the 'hood', the writers have rightfully made her character three dimensional, and very likable to boot.
The comedy here sometimes verges on the offensive, for example, Betty Whites character is totally unnecessary as the casual racist, but obviously, the writers wanted her to be more of an ignoramus, rather than how she is depicted, and it just doesn't sit well.
Plowright pops up as the potential client, and again, although she is very good, the scene when they are having dinner, stinks of casual racism.
I know it's not the writers intentions to make this film quite uncomfortable at times, but the film can laugh at itself on occasion, and the chemistry between the two leads is wonderful.
If your a Martin fan, this is a must, he recaptures the magic he had in the eighties, and this could be the last good thing he ever did.