Eager to make a Brit-flick romantic comedy, director David Kane carves out this disposable product called This Year's Love which is essentially about six different loser-characters living in London and swapping partners on and off for two years. There is no more depth to it that that, aside from the odd, half-hearted attempt to add more background to the characters. This is only successful in one of them, namely Kathy Burke's character of a self-deemed "fat bird" with no self-esteem and it is mostly because she plays her with effortless conviction that she is enjoyable to watch. This character is also one of the few sources for comedy in This Year's Love. I know the rest of the film tries to be funny but it never quite gets there; it barely manages smirkworthy.Aside from Burke, some other decent parts are the way these six characters meet. It never feels forced. You'd think that managing six intertwining relationships would be difficult to pull off, but this feels very natural in the film -- the characters meet in the most ordinary, normal and logical ways like in a pub, at an airport, at a supermarket or at an auction. After all, they all live in the same vicinity -- Camden. This Year's Love isn't bad exactly, but since it manages neither funny nor romantic I'd say this is a pretty fatal failure of a romantic comedy.4/10

In Camden Danny and Hannah's marriage breaks up after only 27 minutes due to infidelity. Pub singer and self-loathing `fat bird' Marey picks up with Danny on the rebound. Single mother Sophie is too selfish and arrogant to let anyone get close to her. A womaniser Cameron searches the singles ad's and bars for women to seduce while his flatmate Liam is desperate for someone to accept and love him. Their lives and loves interact over the story.This may not be the most inventive plot, in fact it's not really a plot - it just follows this group through each of their failed relationships. And the end is a little disappointing (how do you end something that's not going anywhere), but what saves it is the characters and the dialogue. The range of characters range from the comical to the tragic - in Liam's case, both. However they all feel real and they all say things and act in ways that feel natural. The story is a little aimless at times, but it's funny and touching all the same.The cast are all excellent, but Hart and Burke are the standouts. Some of them probably can't act, but the natural dialogue and the good characters help them.Overall this is funny and sweet - the number of interesting characters with things going on make for the lack of traditional narrative - although when it realises that it needs to do something to end, it doesn't totally convince.

It could be said that "This Year's Love" is for Britain what "Friends" is for the USA. Three guys, three girls, swapping relationships and having a laugh along the way. What makes "This Year's Love" different is that the characters are flawed in a way that prevents them from finding true happiness.Though arguably an acquired taste, this is a BRILLIANT film. The acting is superb, the characters so very different. There are many moments of humour, though it is not laugh-out-loud, and plenty of sadness, some of it almost disturbing.So to the story. Set in London's Camden Town, we follow the Glaswegian couple Danny (Douglas Henshall) and the gorgeous Hannah (Catherine McCormack) on their wedding day. Danny learns than Hannah has been sleeping with his best mate and storms out.Hannah gets drunk and falls into the arms of Cameron, (another Scot) a struggling artist with a penchant for preying on vulnerable women. We then meet Cameron's flatmate Liam (Ian Hart) a naive, obsessive Liverpudlian who scrapes a living selling collectable comics. He "seduces" Sophie (Jennifer Ehle) a high-society drop out with child. Danny, meanwhile meets self-confessed "fat bird" Mary (Kathy Burke), but all three relationships deteriorate quickly.I won't say much more - you'll have to see the film for yourself. But be warned, there is no "Hollywood" ending, though some people find happiness. This film has lived in the Shadow of "Brit-hits" such as "Four Weddings", "Notting Hill" and "Lock Stock..". Do yourself a favour and see this film, it is far superior. 10/10

If you fancy spending two hours watching unpleasant, self-absorbed characters shag around and bitch about one another witlessly, see this film. If you want to see it done with style, rent a Barry Levinson film or even an Eastenders omnibus. I found this movie totally pointless; the lack of any sort of climax or resolution makes a point about the aimlessness of the characters but makes for very dull viewing. Ian Hart is terrific but Jennifer Ehle is woeful; I've never seen her play a scene without that smirk on her face. Thank God for Kathy Bates, whose blunt tones are a relief during this movie's posturing.