Real Life

Calling a film Real Life and subtitling it A Romantic Comedy suggests a certain coyness of approach, which as it turns out is not far wrong. The material is such that, in comparison, Mills & Boon look positively Wagnerian. A young man of faultless profile (Everett - no prizes for guessing) is given to much whimsical fantasising, something that renders him inept both professionally and personally, until he meets an older woman (Raines) and, the richer for the experience, gets his girl. Paper-thin, and sadly lacking either the brittle/crisp scripting or the lightness of touch needed to make it acceptable escapism. Megahy, veteran of TV's Minder and The Professionals as well as numerous documentaries, signally fails to suggest that he has found a new vocation.