Main Cast: Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell, Tom Hollander, Joseph Fiennes, Ray Winstone
Release Year: 1998
Country: UK
Run Time: 83 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Nick Hamm (Talk of Angels) directed this U.K. romantic comedy following a group of British blokes and their encounters with an American woman in London. As Laurence (Joseph Fiennes, brother of Ralph Fiennes) narrates the tale to his neighbor, Dr. Pedersen (Ray Winstone), the scene flashes back to three days earlier: Laurence's friend Daniel (Tom Hollander) is in the Minneapolis airport on a business trip when he spots blonde Martha (Monica Potter of Con Air) buying a "first flight to anywhere." Daniel sits next to her on the plane and makes a London lunch date with her for the following day, but she's a no-show. He expresses his disappointment to Laurence and unemployed actor Frank (Rufus Sewell of Cold Comfort Farm). Frank meets Martha accidentally in a park, realizes who she is, learns she's in love and she intends to fly back to the U.S., and then makes a move on her (without telling her he knows Daniel). He loses track of her at an art gallery. Later, Laurence reveals that when he missed meeting Daniel at the airport, he wound up meeting Martha instead -- a moment of mutual love. At this point, much like the structure of Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956), the time is reset and previous events are repeated -- from the POV of another character. The movie is only two-thirds complete when Laurence finishes his recap of the previous three days -- so the story continues from that point. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Mark Raggett - Art Director, Lesley Stewart - Associate Producer, Mary Selway - Casting, Anna Sheppard - Costume Designer, Kieron Phipps - First Assistant Director, Nick Hamm - Director, Michael Bradsell - Editor, Ed Shearmur - Composer (Music Score), Max Gottlieb - Production Designer, David Johnson - Cinematographer, Grainne Marmion - Producer, Tim Fraser - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Morgan - Screenwriter
