Nora Ephron directs Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks and Greg Kinnear in this product placement heavy merging of The Shop Around the Corner and Sleepless in Seattle.

A handsome enough attempt the rekindle the fire that roared, crackled and warmed in Sleepless in Seattle. The problem here is Ryan seems at best on autopilot and at worst visibly overacting to get herself through the myriad of superfluous scenes with almost endlessly pointless interactions with superfluous characters. She was clearly tired of being America’s Sweetheart but the paychecks kept rolling in. Add to that a rather sour but predominant  “corporate is best, therefore the time of the quality family business is over” message that matches the thinking behind the production but not the politics of the intended audience. Luckily Hanks brings his incomparable A Game which not just cements over the cracks buts adds a lovely colour and an expensive gold leaf frieze. Really though this feels like a stew of leftovers chucked in with no consideration as to whether they compliment each other at all.

5