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Recent releases:
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Decoy Bride, The
Stars: Alice Eve, David Tennant, Dylan Moran, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Urie, Sally Phillips
Director: Sheree Folkson
Theres something wonderfully old-fashioned about this amiable, mildly amusing but predictable and hardly memorable British romcom. It steps firmly in the celluloid footsteps of traditional British-made B features from the 1950s with minor stars and a patently low budget. Interestingly, and unlike its predecessors, it doesnt feature an imported American star to give the show some appeal in the States.
Actually, Eve probably qualifies as the Hollywood import here since her recent career has taken her to Hollywood. (Indeed, its possible The Decoy Bride was deliberately released in the UK in the same week as The Raven in which Eve costarred in order to cash in on the Hollywood films publicity). Not that really matters since The Decoy Bride is headed to DVD on March 12th.
In The Raven Eve is buried alive. It could well be that she is hoping The Decoy Bride will follow the same course since theres nothing in it thats likely to advance her career. In the face of a mild screenplay by Sally Phillips, who also appears as her assistant, Eve plays an American film star whose continual hounding by paparazzi drives her into deciding to hold her wedding to English writer Tennant on a sleepy Scottish island.
Unfortunately for her, paparazzo Castelluccio tracks her down to the island hideaway. Phillips and Eves PA Urie come up with a scheme to distract the pap by using local lass MacDonald as a decoy bride. And the result? I imagine most moviegoers will be able to work out the likely romantic set-up without much prodding
Having been hailed as Hamlet and triumphantly toured the universe as Dr Who, theres hardly much Tennant needs to do other than speak the dialogue and decorate it with appropriate expressions. Eve has little to do and does it well enough while MacDonalds natural charm carries her through and gives some welcome depth to her shallow role.
Alan Frank
UK 2011. UK Distributor: Entertainment One. Colour.
89 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 0.
Review date: 09 Mar 2012