My Last Five Girlfriends

This Brit romcom has been described as ‘very funny’ and ‘flimsy’ – and both are kinda right. Loosely based on Alain de Botton’s ‘Essays in Love’, it stars the underqualified Brendan Patricks (‘Horne & Corden’) as loser-in-love Duncan. While unconvincingly contemplating suicide, Duncan recalls his past five relationships with unfeasibly attractive women in busy, self-consciously quirky flashbacks.

There are bad actors here , and there are great actors – Naomie Harris and Michael Sheen appear alongside evident newbies. Some ideas are inventive – Duncan runs through the odds of meeting his first girlfriend in amusing detail – while others feel lazy and clichéd. There’s a steady trickle of fun character observations, but a lack of detail and depth. The film feels a bit like a funny friend who talks too much – sometimes they’re amusing; sometimes you wish they’d shut up. Those willing to overlook the cracks in performances and plot should enjoy it, but they may also wish to revisit ‘High Fidelity’ to see how it’s really done.