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While walking down the aisle, Rachel (Piper Perabo) glances into the crowd and makes eye contact with the florist, Luce (Lena Headey). Though she goes through with her marriage to Heck (Matthew Goode), she continues to question as to whether or not she is suffering from love at first sight. Even though Heck comes to understand that Luce is a lesbian, he still allows his playboy pal Coop (Darren Boyd) to give chase, all the while unaware of Rachel’s newfound longing for another lover.

Writer/director Parker mercifully includes sincere characters and sharp dialogue to alleviate the generic plot. Most of the best lines go to Coop, who still pursues Luce even after she reveals her true orientation. “I’m a walking cure for lesbianism,” he spouts to Heck. Boyd manages to portray his swinger with just the right amount of cocky abandon, which transforms Coop from the most immoral character in the ensemble to the most charming one, womanizing ways and all. Perabo and Headey, previously paired in last summer’s The Cave, generate enough chemistry to emphasize Rachel’s struggle to do what’s right, even if any average moviegoer could accurately forecast her ultimate choice. Since the conflict lies with Rachel, Headey remains an adequate object of desire. Goode does the most he can, though he serves as a pivot point for everyone else more than anything. He does make a comment concerning something being “as gay as a tennis player,” a rather amusing remark considering his previous role in Match Point.

Even with an inquisitive young girl and Rachel’s estranged parents lingering around to offer their insight, the film is neither exceedingly manipulative, nor too sugar-coated, even though the finale does take things into rather familiar territory. Parker keeps the direction a pretty straightforward affair, with the picturesque London setting certainly easy on the eyes and the soundtrack easy on the ears (and yes, the Turtles’ “Happy Together” does eventually make an appearance). Besides the change in orientation, this is a relatively clear-cut and lightweight tale of forbidden love, not Brokeback Mountain with an XX-chromosome.

Despite its typical rom-com trappings, complete with a climax of Richard Curtis proportions, 'Imagine Me & You' has just enough genuine wit and charm to overcome its rather predictable nature. If it weren’t for that, all that separates it from similar fare are a few reversed gender roles. Remember: it’s not about sex, it’s about love.

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originally posted: 02/12/06 20:12:14
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