Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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77 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful romantic comedy... Infectiously upbeat songs... Lovely DVD, August 2, 2006
I loved this delightful little movie. Despite its girl-loves-girl plot, it shouldn't be pigeonholed as a lesbian romance. This is romantic comedy at its finest and can be appreciated by anyone, irrespective of orientation.
The film is an anglo-american-german co-production, filmed in England with a largely English cast. Piper Perabo does a good job with a creditable English accent which apart from an occasional slip, is largely believable. Rachel (Piper Perabo) is struck by a case of love-at-first-sight on her wedding day. Unfortunately it isn't for her handsome, sweet, kindly, husband-to-be but the female florist who's been hired for the occasion. Confused at first, she befriends the florist who does understand her feelings and reciprocates whole-heartedly. As she is now married, how can things end happily? In a way, they don't. Part of me was sad at how things turned out because these were all such lovable characters. But the producers make sure that no heart remains broken for too long. And like all rom-coms, this pedals crazily towards a happy ending, cheered on by the Turtles' "Happy Together."
Aside from Piper Perabo, everyone else is British. Look out for the supporting roles and cameos by various British actors. Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm) plays Luce the florist, Matthew Goode (Match Point) is the husband, Anthony Head (Buffy) is Rachel's Dad, Celia Imrie (Calendar Girls / Love in a Cold Climate) is Rachel's Mom, Ben Miles (Coupling) is Heck's work buddy, Eva Birthistle (A Fond Kiss) is Luce's lesbian friend.
Like most rom-coms, there is extensive use of pop songs. The main one here is The Turtles' upbeat and infectious "Happy Together" whose first lines contribute the title of the movie. Other songs include, Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love", Kelly Marie's "Feels Like I'm In Love" and Ottawans' D.I.S.C.O.
The double-sided DVD contains the original 2.35:1 widescreen version (anamorphic) on Side B and a Pan-&-Scan version on Side A. Picture quality is perfectly lovely, pretty much what you'd expect of a film made in 2005. The DD 5.1 track sounds equally fine with crystal clear dialogue mostly front-centered and lovely music reproduction. The Extras are split onto both sides of the disc. A Q&A session with director and cast is found on Side A while there are about 10mins worth of deleted and extended scenes with optional director's commentary as well as a "Personal statement by director Ol Parker" on Side B.
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An unconventional but undeniably sweet romantic comedy, November 18, 2006
It goes without saying - or maybe it doesn't - that this is not your typical romantic comedy. Most people fall in love and then get married, but Imagine Me & You starts with a wedding and ends with true love. And most married men worry about their wives leaving them for another man - not another woman. Truly, though, this film should not be pigeon-holed as one of "those" films, for it's a really sweet story that says more about true love than most of today's raunchy romances. Love and sex are not the same thing, and it's always nice to find a film that reflects that. Don't go into this film expecting to see two lovely ladies rolling around naked in the hay, as there's no nudity whatsoever. This is a sweet film, not a prurient one.
I love Piper Perabo, especially now that's she proven she's just as talented as she is gorgeous. She's an unusual choice for the leading role in this film, an American actress surrounded by an impressive British cast, but her accent feels natural and makes for a most comfortable fit. Her character, Rachel, seems the picture of happiness as she marries Heck (Matthew Goode), a true good guy who has long been her best friend. Walking down the aisle, however, she happens to exchange a life-changing glance with Luce (Lena Headey), the florist who supplied the flowers for the wedding. She soon strikes up a friendship with Luce, initially trying to set her up with one of Heck's friends. Even before she learns that Luce is gay, though, she finds herself thinking about her more and more. Never having believed in love at first sight, she doesn't know how to react to these strange but powerful new feelings she is experiencing for the first time. Naturally, a distance seems to develop between her and Heck, eventually forcing her to choose between happiness and stability with Heck or true love with Luce. Luce, for her part, is also torn; as much as she loves Rachel, she certainly has no desire to break up a marriage.
As the movie progressed, I really wasn't sure how this story would end, knowing that one side of this lovers' triangle was destined for unhappiness. The filmmakers delivered a better and more meaningful conclusion than I ever expected, however - even though it does go a little too far in trying to make everyone happy.
The entire cast is excellent, contributing a couple of meaningful subplots, but special mention must be made of two individuals. Boo Jackson is utterly charming as Rachel's young sister H (there's a great explanation for her name), while Anthony Head (Giles of Buffy fame) turns in a memorable performance as Rachel's long-suffering father, whose tendency to mumble and dodder around seems directly related to his less than perfect marriage to Rachel's demanding mother. Both Jackson and Head really step up to make the film's sentimental conclusion particularly effective.
Imagine You & Me is a disarmingly sweet and entertaining romantic comedy. The nature of the romance between Rachel and Luce does much to explain the film's R rating, but this same-sex romance is in no way "mature" in terms of its content. When you come right down to it, the fact that Rachel and Luce are both women is almost incidental. This is, purely and simply, a wonderful love story.
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33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
what? they're gay?, May 12, 2006
I saw this movie when it came out and fell in love with it.
It doesn't try to overwhelm you with a liberal agenda of some sort. (Becoming a lesbian doesn't inherently make you liberal, although, in my world, it would.)
It doesn't revolve the story around a lusty sex scene. (I enjoy them, but there's something to be said for the romantic simplicity of the kiss.)
It doesn't try to squeeze in every single member of the lgbtiq community like we're an amusing freak show. (With some movies, I find myself yelling, "It's a gay movie, I get it!")
...This movie simply tries to tell the story of two girls in love, nothing else. It does it in a quirky, Notting-Hill type of way and that makes it all the better. At least for people like myself, who are sick of imagining Harry, of When Harry Met Sally, as a curly-haired butch.
By being so formulaic and true to the romantic comedy genre, this movie becomes radical. You WANT Rachel to follow her heart and get her mate, who just happens to be another woman. It doesn't even dawn on you that what you're cheering for is lesbianism--why is this such a dividing issue again?
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