Solitaire for 2

Daniel Becker (Frankel) knows all the right moves. A management consultant on body language and behavioural science, and the author of a self-help manual, he's a dab hand at manipulating people. Especially women. Then he meets beautiful palaeontologist Katie Burrill (Pays), and suddenly he can't put a foot right. She sees through his every ploy, beats him to every punchline, almost as if she can read his mind. In fact, that's exactly what she's doing. The question is: can Daniel make it up? It's a fantastic idea for a screwball comedy, but writer/director Sinyor's first solo effort after the Leon the Pig Farmer collaboration doesn't entirely come off. The fault is less with the script - which is packed with sharp observations and promising comic set-ups - than with the hit-or-miss direction. Some subtle scenes prove unduly tentative, while more physical sequences veer towards the inflated buffoonery of sit-com land. For all that, it's a convivial entertainment, with enough wit and imagination to bode well for Sinyor's future.