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When Cameron Diaz swims through the opening titles of A Life Less Ordinary, steps from her luxurious swimming pool and shoots an apple from the head of her butler, most blokes will have to pick their jaws up from the floor.
But don't worry girls; Ewan Mc Gregor - recently voted fourth sexiest star according to one magazine - is also on board for one of the most enjoyably offbeat movies of the week. He plays Robert, an aspiring novelist sacked from his cleaning job after being replaced by a robot; Diaz is Celine, a gorgeous but bored heiress.
After storming the office of his employer - and her father - Naville (Ian Holm), Robert kidnaps Celine and soon realises he's in over his head when dad decides she's not really worth the ransom.
Thrown into the mix are two angels - the unmissable Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo - assigned by Angel Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) to make the couple fall in love. However, it seems like most of the time they're actually trying to kill our renegade lovers.
There was a lot riding on this movie, not least because it was the follow up to Trainspotting for director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge.
Despite its charm, wit and style, the film barely scraped past the $5million mark in the States on its big screen outing. A re-release in these post Phantom Menace days could do the movie no end of good as McGregor's stars doesn't so much continue to rise as go supernova.
Those newcomers expecting Trainspotting 2 may be disappointed. It's a lot less controversial but far more palatable than the 1996 classic about Scottish heroin addicts. If you love the Preston Sturges and Frank Capra films of old then this should be right up your street.
It also boasts a fine supporting cast, including Ian McNiece as a murderous butler and Maury Chaykin as Tod, a delightful backwoods oddball.
Standout moments include a karaoke dance scene to die for, a grinning Holly Hunter crawling over the bonnet of a speeding truck and the Wallace and Gromit style closing titles.
The photography is also very easy on the eyes. Let's face it, any cameraman who has to light Cameron Diaz would think Christmas had come early but from the sliver of light on her eyes during a morning after scene to the staggering Utah landscapes, this is delirious stuff.
There also some knowing in jokes for fans of Danny Boyle's earlier movie, Shallow Grave. When Lindo takes McGregor off into the woods to apparently kill him, there's no prizes for guessing what Robert has to dig before meeting his maker.
Director Danny Boyle has been more than a little busy since the film's release in the Autumn of 1997. He completed Alien Love Triangle with Courteney Cox and Kenneth Branagh and is currently hard at work on the new Leonardo diCaprio offering The Beach.
Boyle was offered Alien Resurrection to direct before opting for this far more original project.
It may not be the best film ever made but in an age when everyone seems to be copying the last major blockbuster in order to make their money back, it's nice to see a film-maker who has the guts to try something different and actually be a lot less ordinary than the rest.
© 1999 Roger Crow
