Best movie of this year hands down!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Emma Thomson said in the publicity interviews for this film that it marked a return of films that made you happy from start to finish. Sadly I can't agree with this sentiment as for me 'The Love Punch' was nothing more than four very good actors doing highly irrational things.It has a flimsy and improbable plot and then tries to be a middle aged version of Oceans Eleven, with a healthy dose of Pink Panther thrown in for good measure.Why didn't they get a lawyer involved? Why are they so happy for their son to regularly break the law through hacking? For a film that is supposed to be going against the gross out comedy grain why are there so many sexual jokes? All these questions and more remain unanswered in this flimsy film's relatively short running time.It's a great shame that director Joel Hopkins and Emma Thomson couldn't follow up their previous collaboration (Last Chance Harvey) with something of equal standard.

Emma Thompson in a comedy, especially after her performances during the 2013-2014 award season, sounds like a sure bet for laughter right? After all, she seems more than comfortable with herself, seems equally deep and hilarious, and then she has Pierce Brosnan as a tag team partner in the movie. Leading to the question: Does this film live up to expectations?Characters & StoryDuring Richard's (Pierce Brosnan) last week before retirement, he finds out the man he sold his company to, Vincent (Laurent Lafitte), has pretty much destroyed all he has worked for after 25 years. His pension is gone, his ex-wife's Kate (Emma Thompson), Richard's employees, and the building of the company Richard formerly ran is in foreclosure. Making it so those near retirement, and nowhere near, are all in a terrible position.So, in order to right this wrong, Richard and Kate use the little bit of money they have left to head to France and confront Vincent. Something which leads to them being kicked out of Vincent's building and them deciding they are going to steal Vincent's wife's $10 million diamond to refund all the money Vincent stole. Something which requires the help of Vincent and Kate's son Matt (Jack Wilkinson), as well as Richard and Kate's friends Penelope (Celia Imrie) and Jerry (Timothy Spall).Leading to a caper type film which has light espionage, a damsel in distress, a bickering former married couple, and Jerry who seemingly did quite well in the military and made loads of friends.PraiseIf you were to look at each of the protagonists' stories, in terms of what happened before the movie, you are given interesting tales. Whether it is Jerry's career in the military, which has led to shrapnel and forceps being found in his body; Richard and Kate's relationship, which perhaps began too soon; or even Richard's pursuit of younger woman and building up his company. With all that is told to us, you are given a wealth of background information. All of which create this sense that these characters have lived full lives before we met them, and that after all the sacrifices and the interesting lives they've lived, they deserve their pension money to relax.CriticismHowever, as much as their little tidbits about what happened in the past are interesting, nothing we see in the present has the same effect. Watching Thompson and Brosnan go back and forth throughout the movie is neither appealing nor funny, and it doesn't even have the passion the bickering between Nick and Meg in Le Week-End had to make it interesting. The jabs are all very shallow and while you see two attractive people who look good together, there is a real lack of chemistry that makes it hard to invest in either their past, or possibly future, relationship, much less their friendship.Then, on top of that, honestly Jerry's random stories about being in the military were strangely more interesting than what most of the film offered. This is despite Thompson and Brosnan kidnapping, and impersonating, Texans; having a will they get back together, or won't they, type of relationship; and Thompson giving motherly advice to Vincent's bride Manon (Louise Bourgoin), of which had one quotable line amongst their conversations. Overall: Skip ItA part of me wants to say this is something which should be labeled "TV Viewing," but in all honesty I think there isn't much here to really garner wasting an hour and a half of your life. Brosnan's charm is there, but there isn't much chemistry between him and Thompson; and while Thompson attempts to be funny, the script doesn't seem geared to her talents at all. If anything, all you get is a story about a divorced couple of which one half speaks on how happy they are they aren't married to the other; we listen to Kate, Richard, and Jerry remind us constantly that they are old; and overall you get the feeling that if they were going to use these characters, minus Vincent and Manon, for a movie, it should of took place when they were still interesting and worth making a film about. Hence the "Skip It" label. The character, not actors mind you, are past the point where they can do or say anything interesting, and really this whole "let's steal a diamond" story seems barely evolved out of being an interesting concept.

This film was written in the 1960s several times; then again in the 1970s and even again in the 1980s for some old actors who needed to look funny and sexy still.It's the perfect piece of dross that you'd see on a flight and stick with because your defenses are down. On land, and with plenty of oxygen to the brain, there is no excuse to suffer this series of worn out clichés and stale moves.Brosnan is perfectly at ease in this soggy soufflé, Thompson less so; she seems a schoolteacher who is slightly ashamed at doing this. The other actors all hack their way through the formula of inferior scenes and dialog.It's so utterly lazy that the creative team might have used their time better by dozing on the couch and watching old movies.

Review: This film is really bad. The storyline is completely ridiculous and Brosnan and Thompson make fools out of themselves. The chemistry between the two characters isn't bad, but it's not enough to make the movie enjoyable. Basically, Pierce Brosnan's business gets taken from him so he tries to get the business back with the help of Thompson who also has personal investments in the business. After failing terribly at that task, they decide to steal a precious diamond from the person who took his business, and that's were the storyline just goes from bad to worse. In some ways, it's a light hearted feel good movie that is totally not to be taken seriously, but on the basis of entertainment, I just didn't find it funny the characters got on my nerves after a while. Disappointed!Round-Up: After seeing many interviews with Emma Thompson, this movie does suit her humorous personality which is full of wit, but the script was terrible and I'm sure that everyone would be stealing a diamond if it was so easy. I am quite a fan of Pierce Brosnan but he seems to be taking on some weird roles lately, like The Long Way Down and Love Is All You Need. I'm hoping that his career will take a turn like Liam Neeson who has blossomed in the latter part of his career. It's basically down to the roles that he picks because his performances are usually quite good. I know that he's trying to get rid of the whole Bond typecasting, but I can't wait to see him kicking butt again. At the end of the day, I doubt that this movie will damage all of the work that Thompson and Brosnan has done in the past, but they could do with a major blockbuster as there next projects. Budget: N/A Worldwide: $5millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there romantic comedies about a group of friends who try a steal a diamond from a man who destroys Brosnan's business. 3/10