Book of Love

Lighthearted, charming, and genuinely funny, this romcom may not have written the book on originality. But Book of Love's fun take on the odd couple thrown together to keep up appearances is surprisingly enjoyable. Claflin is likable as the stiff-upper-lipped yet cluelessly bumbling Englishman -- think Hugh Grant with designer facial hair. But it is Echegui's passionate, frustrated Maria that really adds the spark here. She brings the heart, the energy, and the sarcastic reality check that keeps the film from becoming too schmaltzy, despite corny interludes like: "She rewrote it, then she rewrote me."

Tying the plot in with the idea of a telenovela works well, and is admirably underplayed until the end, where the film allows itself a little fun with the concept. Elsewhere the plot borders on cliche and no scene will come as any great surprise for those who have watched a few romantic comedies in their time. But the sense of fun and the feminist exasperation that Echequi brings -- both as the woman writing a book for which she isn't given credit, and as the person exhausted by juggling the needs of the men around her ­-- gives Book of Love enough charisma and edge to warm the most sensible of hearts.