Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Love is not simple, as the film's protagonist Duncan discovers to his increasing despair over the course of five love affairs. It's something most people already know, however in this case the lesson comes in the manner of a satirical but dismal take on the classic British romance comedy. The film presents a tragicomic view at the world of dating, with Duncan having relationships with five women, all of which go bad. The first two don't get very far, the third comes to an acrimonious end through a dispute, the fourth runs out of steam, and the fifth is where the most drama comes in. This would be a bitterly bleak tale if it wasn't for Duncan's comic commentary: he presents the sad situation in a sardonic, sly manner that makes the situation funny for us, but retains its sadness and dignity where he is concerned. The fact that it's so true to life for a lot of people is the main appeal of this tale: a lot of us have trouble finding and being with people, and can get disillusioned at how difficult it gets.Brendan Patricks carries the film as Duncan, whose initially bright outlook on life slowly darkens and becomes more melancholy with each failed romance. The rest of the cast are more or less adequate, acting as subjects to explore a specific dilemma Duncan goes through; it may have been better for each of the girls to have given their own views so that they're less sketchy, but then the point is that Brendan doesn't understand their perspective, and so it works out in a painfully realistic and understandable manner. The film ends on a bleak note, with Duncan deciding to just move on with life and away from love for the sake of his sanity... and then the adventure continues, as he meets someone new. He represents the eternal lover in quest, through hope and despair, of an ideal soulmate to be with. And that's what most of us romantics are.

Surprising. I wasn't quite sure what this movie was going to be like. In the beginning, it seemed to be a bit dark and cynical, but the attitude turned around and quickly became funny, witty, and interesting. The concepts in this movie are so dream-like and imaginative that I couldn't get enough of Duncan's little quirks. I also fell in love with the way the writers used everyday things to symbolize an aspect of Duncan's love life, like a pair of shoes or an avocado. This movie is, in a word, real. It's safe to say everyone can relate to this movie, and it's like 5 little stories in one. Honestly this film is fantastic and definitely worth watching.

I think this film may not cross water - the Americans won't get the humour, and the Europeans will be wondering why we have to work so hard to get in to bed with each other (its why there are so many drunk British people in Spain, we can't do it sober).There are two aspects of the film which bring it to the top of the pile - the script and the cinematography. The script is not just tight and well-timed; its storyline is a fairly accurate, almost forensic, depiction of why we keep screwing up in relationships (that's a British 'we' of course). The imagery is fantastic, a clever mix of interesting/beautiful angles and variously styled animated sequences.The acting is good but not great, but perhaps that was an implicit theme within the film...very clever.

I had no knowledge of the novel by Alain de Botton on which this is based, but I had previously watched several of his TV programs. While I was watching the film something someone was saying would occasionally remind me of the writer's (Botton's) psychological (and philosophical) interests. There was, however, ample drama for me to be able to feel empathy for most of the characters, as well as enough unexpected plot 'surprises' to maintain my desire to find out what would happen next. Visually I tended to find there was rather more use of distorting lenses in the cinematography than I am used to (or, personally, comfortable with), but having said that I can also see why their use may be reasonably justified. Fairly understated but nonetheless enthusiastic performances from most of the actors and actresses. Definitely well worth the time spent watching.