The Love Punch (2014)

One of the worst movies I have ever seen, I even signed up to write this review, it was that bad. Implausible, ridiculous, stupid, cheesy, bad, bad, bad. I watched it all as I really could not believe that such good actors would lower themselves to this trash, even they could not lift this rubbish. Did I mention that this movie was bad? Have given it 1 because there is not an option to give 0 The humour was terrible, the plot ridiculous, the way ordinary people became criminals a joke, Timothy Spalls character stupid. Everything was bad, bad, bad. If ever you think of watching this movie, don't. I have to write a few more words to reach the limit, so I write BAD BAD BAD, REALLY BAD

Kate (Emma Thompson) and Richard Jones (Pierce Brosnan) are happily divorced. He's getting divorced from the new young wife. He is set to retire but the new owners who took over the company had looted the retirement fund. They go to Paris to confront the owner but Vincent is an unapologetic corporate raider. He's even bought his soon-to-be wife Manon (Louise Bourgoin) a $10 million diamond. The Jones decide to steal the diamond to pay back everybody's pension. They recruit their best friends Jerry (Timothy Spall) and Sophie (Tuppence Middleton).I really really love the idea of Thompson and Brosnan stumble their way in a caper movie. This is simply written poorly. The setup is weak. The bad guy needs to be a much better actor. I like the couple's chemistry and they are fun sometimes. This lacks well written jokes and the addition of the comic sidekicks do not add much comedy. These great actors deserve something better.

Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan play a divorced couple whose retirement funds and savings are stolen by an unscrupulous French businessman. They enlist the help of their good friends, played by Timothy Spall and Celie Imrie, to carry out a plan to recover what they lost. It's a far-fetched, crazy plot involving kidnap, scuba-diving, impersonation, jewel theft, and wedding-crashing. The zany plot contrasts nicely with the normal, suburban lives lived by the main characters. Oddly enough, even with the outlandish plot, the ending is predictable. That may be due to the fact that it's really a romantic comedy dressed up in an adventure. This movie is likable, but stops short of being great.This is one of my favourite Emma Thompson roles, largely because she has resisted her frequent tendency to over-act. She has a couple of really wonderful lines, most notably "we should nick it", delivered exactly right. Pierce Brosnan does a believable job of playing the aging hunk who is starting to realize he's not 21 anymore. The movie is not hilarious, but does deliver several laughs. Thompson and Brosnan are funny together, particularly the scene in Paris in which Thompson cannot believe that Brosnan's driving skills have not improved over the years.Despite silly plot failings, this movie is worth watching simply to see four really good lead actors show us how it's done.

Simple and predictable. One could, with no effort, finish each line of the dialog. Originality was certainly not the point. Actors are charming and do their best with the material at hand. It would be unfair to say that it was unfunny. I watched it in a packed theater in Paris on a Sunday afternoon (which in itself would be very strange were it not for the fact that the French are known to stubbornly queue for any film that features their actors and/or Paris) and everyone around me was laughing their heads off. I couldn't help but giggle a few times myself.I would recommend it for a rainy afternoon, on TV.