Ratner energetically refuses to play each scene as expected, and this whiff of reality in the humour and situations makes the film watchable, helped immensely by solid, unsentimental performances from Cage and Leoni. The rest of the characters get a pretty short shrift--stereotypically comic, goofy, seductive, wizened, whatever they need to be ... and again well-played by a fine supporting cast. Unfortunately there's nothing here that we haven't seen countless times before (most notably in the much edgier Australian take on the very same story, Me Myself I, earlier this year). That said, the film still has the ability to tug at the old heartstrings with its deeply personal storyline and themes that will resonate inside even the most cynical film critic. It's very efficiently made gloss, and it does have some substance to it. It's just a pity the filmmakers didn't go for something with more earthy integrity in it instead of trying so hard to make a cosy classic.