A delightfully zany romcom. 4/5 stars.
Spinning out its screwball premise with dexterity and wit, this hugely engaging British romcom is a winner all the way.
Snarky singleton Nancy (Lake Bell) and emotionally bruised divorcée Jack (Simon Pegg) meet cute beneath the clock at Waterloo Station when he mistakes her for his blind date. Rather than disabuse Jack of his error, Nancy spontaneously decides to impersonate the woman he is expecting to meet (Ophelia Lovibond's unquenchably perky 24-year-old triathlete), setting in motion a series of escalatingly zany events.
The film barrels along around a refreshingly down-to-earth, un-touristy London with a giddy momentum that is exhilarating. Not that everything works, it has to be said. Rory Kinnear is rather too creepy for comfort as a deranged stalker who used to be Nancy's schoolmate and Olivia Williams is a little short-changed as Jack's sour ex-wife. But first-time screenwriter Tess Morris supplies a steady stream of sharply observed gags and Pegg and Bell ensure their characters remain both credible and likeable.
The duo's chemistry is sensational, too, with American Bell nailing her English accent perfectly and Pegg redeeming himself after flops such as Hector and the Search for Happiness and Absolutely Anything.
