Sacha Molitorisz

Originally, this British comedy was to be titled Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. An off-beat name for an off-beat tale, it was a moniker that revealed far more than its less memorable replacement. The Very Thought Of You could be a thriller, a drama, even an Oliver Sacks special about a gaggle of hospital patients who suddenly and miraculously overcome their collective amnesia.

But Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence could only ever be a quirky romantic comedy. And, most likely, a good one. Martha (Monica Potter) is fed up with her deadend life in Minneapolis, so she hops aboard an el cheapo flight for London. In the sky she meets Daniel (Tom Hollander), a rich music industry brat. The pair agree to meet up for lunch, but Martha never shows. In the ensuing days, though, Martha coincidentally meets Daniel's eccentric pals, first Frank, then Laurence. Frank (Rufus Sewell, Dark City) is a drinking, smoking, self-loathing actor who hasn't worked since he was a kid; while Laurence (Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare In Love) is the introverted peace-keeper and punching bag.

Inspired by a dinner party at which scriptwriter Peter Morgan and three friends all fell in love with the one Parisian actress, The Very Thought Of You delivers four twentysomethings at a crossroads, in life and in love. The rivalry that develops for Martha's attention threatens to jeopardise the lads' longstanding friendship. Of course, this storyline could easily have fallen into the trap of predictable pratfalls and the base hu-mour of awkwardness, but through its clever narrative structure - skipping backwards in time, bouncing between viewpoints - and its well-written, well-portrayed characters, The Very Thought Of You is sharp and smart. And, fortunately, it's still light enough to tickle rather than tax.

Maybe it was the fact that, when I saw this film, I'd just met someone special on a plane. Or maybe it was the fact that just at that time I was optimistically embarking on a relationship of my own. Then again, maybe I just enjoyed this film because it's cleverly-constructed, pleasantly witty and relentlessly charming.