The Truth About Love (2005)

Directed by: John Hay | 91 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dougray Scott, Jimi Mistry, Branka Katic, Kate Miles, Simon Webbe, Emma Noble, Karl Howman, Stefan Dennis, Stephen Aintree, Maureen Bennett, Tom Boyd, Harriet Carmichael, Eddie Cooper, Marc Danbury, Andrew Hall Petina Hapgood, Julian Hensey, Goran Kostic, Daniel Martin, Tracy O’Flaherty, Elise Rayner, Gordon Rennie, Kirris Riviere, Theresa Roche, Sheila Ruskin, Jason Speake, Jason Stevens, Freddie Waters, Susanne Wohnberger

In ‘The Truth about Love’ American Jennifer Love Hewitt, repeatedly named by various magazines in a top so many of the sexiest women in the world, plays the English married woman Alice, who is cheated on by her husband. As unbelievable as this sounds, it all comes across convincingly in this film. Her English accent is not flawless, but good enough to not stand out from the real British actors like Dougray Scott, Jimi Mistry and Kate Miles. The fact that an attractive woman does not know how to satisfy her man without her realizing it first is something you as a viewer take for granted.

Although more drama than romantic comedy, ‘The Truth about Love’ is a fun way to spend your time. The funny premise: woman seducing her own man by pretending to be a secret admirer is so original and fun that you can vividly imagine testing your partner yourself. Sympathetic characters, nice dialogues and one-liners, especially by sister Felicity (Kate Miles). Felicity ‘Flick’ is a kind of nymphomaniac, who only hangs out with married men, making her the polar opposite of the loyal Alice. When Flick sign language shows her how to have a sexy phone conversation, it’s hilarious. One of the other highlights comes near the end, in the station, where Alice does her utmost to get Archie’s attention: very comical and very well acted.

The film opens with a scene where Archie (Dougray Scott) declares his love for Alice. You actually expect Scott to take on the male lead, but while he does eventually become Alice’s love interest, he has considerably less screen time than Sam, the cheating husband (Jimi Mistry). That’s a shame, because the scenes with Sam are the least interesting. However, his relationship with his mistress Katya (Branca Katic) is sufficiently deepened, which benefits the story. ‘The Truth about Love’ is a fun movie in its genre and shows how dangerous it is to play with love. The fact that it works out well in this story does not necessarily mean that it always ends so magically.