Soft Top, Hard Shoulder

Having failed to make it in London as a comic-book artist, Gavin Bellini (Capaldi) - an Italian-Glaswegian from an ice-cream dynasty - reluctantly yields to his uncle's demands that he return home for his dad's sixtieth birthday party; if he makes it, the uncle (Wilson) may give him a share of the family fortune. But as he heads north in his worn-out Triumph convertible, Gavin meets countless obstacles. When the car breaks down, hitcher Yvonne (Collins) helps to get it going, but Gavin soon tires of her company. Worse, he loses his wallet, and their progress becomes ever slower. Will Gavin reach the party on time? Can he and his feisty passenger put aside their differences? The echoes of It Happened One Night and Bill Forsyth's comedies are rather too strong, but Capaldi's script has its fair share of engagingly offbeat one-liners, and the characters are deftly sketched. The ending doesn't convince, and Schwartz's direction is erratic, but overall this is a modestly enjoyable comedy.