Born Romantic

You don't have to be a romantic to enjoy this, but it helps.

At first, you think, "Here we go again, another David Kane ensemble movie, full of randy blokes and disappointed chicks."

Well, yes and no. The point is Kane's such a good writer, he charms you into submission with seductive dialogue and, by the end, you really care.

He wrote and directed the glorious Ruffian Hearts in his native Glasgow, shown only at film festivals and on BBC TV. He did the same with This Year's Love in Camden Town, which was aggressively marketed and did well at the cinema.

Born Romantic could have been called Next Year's Love, considering its theme of relationships-who-wants-'em? Actually, it is a better, funnier film, that digs deep into the morass of human emotions.

One message comes through loud and clear - persevere, don't give up. The men are desperately trying to find a girl and the girls are desperately trying to put them off, because they're scared.

Modern life, especially in London where people move around a lot and friendships tend to fracture, is hard on the heart. And when it comes to loneliness, a one night stand fills the void.

Kane uses Adrian Lester's minicab driver as his Everyman, the voice of reason in this mixed-up world, and a Brixton salsa club as his meeting point. Even these devices are acceptable because the characters who people the script are played by Jane Horrocks, David Morrissey, Craig Ferguson, Catherine McCormack, Olivia Williams and Jimi Mistry from East Is East.

Their stories are far from fairy tales. Kane inhabits the real world where it is possible to mug your girlfriend by mistake and be publicly humiliated on the top of a double decker bus in the middle of the afternoon.

What matters is love, or rather romance, before it's too late and there's nothing left but the blank reflection from high rise windows, or a cell phone that never rings.