My low expectations were surprisingly rewarded with what turned out to be a jewel of film that I had never heard of. There are very few modern romances that appeal to me in this day and age. At the beginning of I'm With Lucy my skepticism seemed to be on target. A highly unlikely setup with our heroine, played by Monica Potter, being dismissively dumped by a creep of a boyfriend, Craig Bierko, in a public elevator and eventually setting out on five blind dates in search of the right, if not perfect man. But slowly as each scenario played out and I got to know not only each of the men she dates (John Hannah, Gael Garcia Bernal, Anthony La Paglia, Henry Thomas and David Boreanaz) as well as Lucy, I was totally won over. By the time that Lucy married one her blind dates at the end of the film, I'd found something that I've missed during the usual attempts at melding comedy and romance in today's movie market, a real warmth in the story that was told, and an appreciation for most, if not all the characters in the film. We actually experienced Lucy's growth in awareness and self knowledge. The cast was wonderful, and I'm not just thinking of the five male dates and Monica Potter, Julie Christie and Harold Ramis as Lucy's embarrassingly informative parents were spot on. If for some reason you haven't seen this film yet, please give it a try. It truly deserves real consideration given the fact that it had little or no theatrical release and a very skimpy and unannounced DVD release here in the US, although the British release does include cast interviews which are not found on the US release.

Lucy is quite unsympathetic, messed up and a total nag. She has her moments, but I didn't understand nor did I believe that any of the men could be bothered dating here more than once except maybe for the sex. The script is ultra thin, making it one of those pictures that stands or falls with the performance of the lead. Lucy is played by Monica Potter, who couldn't make me care one iota about Lucy. She reminded me of all the spoiled, obnoxious girls you avoided like the plague in college. So what's left? Fine performances, well, more like cameos really, by LaPaglia, Hannah and Thomas and Julie Christie does a strange turn as a Jewish mother. Yes, that's right. Garcia Bernal and Boreanaz are wasted, especially Garcia Bernal. Pass on this one.

Didn't expect much from this movie but it actually turned out to be a kind of darling idea. The plot managed to squeeze into a one year period the range of pre-marriage men most of us spend years inevitably dating before we get smart enough to realize what makes a guy Mr. Right. And I must say if I have to look at one more movie with Julie Roberts or that even sappier, Meg Ryan in it I give up on romantic comedy all together! So this leading lady seemed such a refreshing breath of air. Monica Potter is like Julia R. only way sweeter, a zillion times more original and a lot more realistic. I decided to watch this picture with my daughter because we both just adore David Boreanaz from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and ‘Angel' fame.As I am sure you guessed by now... this is...without a doubt...a chick flick. The kind of which would do the ‘WE' channel proud. That said, I really enjoyed the men in the film. All of them worked well at enabling us to picture how certain choices have the power to change our lives forever. The `dates` were also amusing because they were each unique. You could easily imagine how the heroin's life would be altered by which one she would ultimately pick as a husband. It was slightly trippy to realize*SPOILER FOLLOWS*Mr. Right was a grownup Henry Thomas whom I had not seen since his priceless performance as the adorable Elliott in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Also worth noting that Julie Christie does a remarkable entertaining and out of character performance as Lucy's mom.While I would never need to own this movie...it's a good one night stand...as it were.

I think this film deserves a lot more attention than it actually gets - it is as enjoyable as "Notting Hill". If you like romantic comedies you should not miss this one. John Hannah and Henry Thomas are very well casted and fit perfect into their roles. Very funny film and a nice story - 8/10.