The Accidental Husband

Director: Griffin Dunne

A woman foolish enough to professionally advise other people on love on the radio,and other women foolish enough to seek out her advice – all apparently need to be brought down a peg or two.

And that’s the premise of The Accidental Husband,where Uma Thurman is a doctor and a successful radio host,on top of being Uma Thurman,who can’t see through one of the flimsiest ruses of all time as she is so hopelessly wrong about all she holds valuable. So the expert on “real love” keeps swinging between two guys till one of them graciously steps aside and the other smilingly scoops her up.

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In one corner is Colin Firth,a guy who screams taste,dependability,trustworthiness,worries over shades of white,and is a gentleman who all girls like,but just so. In the other is an Irish fireman who is a buddy’s buddy,plays soccer,wears sweatshirts to black-tie dinners,charms stiff upper-class women off their feet,can hold his drink,sing romantic songs off the top of his head and counts an Indian family — how is that for being different? — as his family.

Wow! Call that a dilemma? Ever seen a movie in which the first guy won? Especially a movie in which that first guy was Firth,with the rare,and qualified,exception of Bridget Jones?

Thurman or Dr Emma Lloyd’s life-changing discovery could have been handled at least more funnily. But Firth gets barely a chance,Thurman is all nervous agitation and Morgan,the third angle of the troika,is so desperate to charm,the width of his smile rankles. Plus,he reminds you of Robert Downey Jr,and if you are Jeffrey Dean Morgan,you don’t want that comparison.

And what’s all that Indian connection — delineated in one elaborate janeyu ceremony,with Bollywood song-and-dance; a Samosa Palace; a techie kid; some nosey neighbours; and henna that conveniently vanishes in a few hours — all about?.

Anyway,any script that dresses up Sarita Chaudhury in an ill-fitting salwar-kameez and casts her as a middle-aged housewife needs crucial changes.

shalini.langer@expressindia.com