3156. The Accidental Husband (2008)

Starring: Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth

Director: Griffin Dunne

Running Time: 90 mins

The Accidental Husband is an American film about a radio show host who gives women advice on their relationships that suddenly finds herself the object of revenge of a man whose marriage she broke up with her one of her shows.

For the most part, The Accidental Husband feels like a real missed opportunity. With a cast that’s definitely more capable than the rather lightweight nature of this story, it’s arguably nice to see them letting their hair down a little, but the movie does almost nothing to make use of their talents, instead following the most predictable rom-com formula imaginable.

At first, though, I was rather liking The Accidental Husband. By which I mean for the first fifteen minutes. Much of the entertainment in the early stages came from seeing Uma Thurman in a fluffier role than what we’re used to from her, but still with the same confidence and charisma that she has in every film.

Thurman works well enough with Colin Firth as one half of an assured professional couple, although her chemistry with Jeffrey Dean Morgan is less than convincing. And that’s where this movie’s problems start.

The big twist comes in the opening act, as Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character gets his own back on Uma Thurman by ‘marrying’ her by hacking the civil records database. Apart from being a rather far-fetched premise in the first place, the second it happens, you just know exactly where this movie is going to go.

And that’s all that happens for the rest of the film. Following the most predictable formula you can imagine, every single beat of The Accidental Husband has been seen a thousand times before, and this film has nothing new in terms of comedy or charisma to make that formula feel any more fresh.

Admittedly, the lead trio are good value throughout the movie, but I feel that’s more because of their own talents rather than anything the screenplay or director actually does for them. In general, The Accidental Husband is as superficial and simplistic as romantic comedies get, and there’s not much more to say about it.

If you like to turn your brain off when watching these movies, then this shouldn’t be too frustrating. There are a couple of moments where it’s irritating to see Thurman’s once assured character turn into a bumbling idiot just because she’s ‘fallen in love’, but for the most part, this movie is fairly harmless.

However, it’s not particularly funny either, and certainly not original in any way. Simplistic and lightweight it may be, but a genuinely enjoyable romantic comedy? No. So, that’s why I’m giving The Accidental Husband a 6.6 overall.