Yes, a lot of Important Life Lessons ensue, but the filmmakers wisely never let it become a twee English costume drama. Rather, they inject a current of black comedy and clever wit that keeps us involved in the tangled narrative. Still, some elements are unnecessary--some of the dialog and voice-over narration are awful, and cliches threaten to swamp every scene and are just about held at bay. Meanwhile, the cast is excellent. Surprisingly, the most moving plot thread involves Garai and Cavill, the newest faces in the cast. They are terrific together--the emotional heart of the film. Meanwhile, Nighy is superb as usual in a much meatier role than even he usually gets. And Byrne makes her character far more three-dimensional than the shallow creature she could have been. All in all, this is a complex, moving tale about dealing with life, not accepting second best and having the courage to both love and be loved. That it avoids the grit and lapses into schmaltz every now and then can almost be forgiven.