British comedy is a universe unto itself. In order to understand the “jollies” and “right-o’s” of BBC hilarity, one would have to understand the concept of cricket, break the day apart with standard afternoon tea and be fond of eating fries with fish.
In other words, one would have to be completely, utterly and unforgivably British.
And so those who venture to see the recent BBC Films arrival “Imagine Me and You,” a film about the oddities and peculiarities of love and sexuality, will probably find themselves wondering why the actors on screen are all laughing, leaving the members of the audience glancing around for someone who might have picked up on the punch line.
Supposedly categorized as a romantic comedy, the film provides a sizable helping of the romantic, and little of the comedy. All the rain in London wouldn’t be able to moisturize the dry humor in this film, save a few internationally known explications that have no more than three or four letters.
The film begins with the marriage of the main character Rachel, played by Piper Perabo, and Heck, her best friend since childhood, played by Matthew Goode. The wedding seems to be going perfect until chance should have it that Rachel looks over her shoulder as she walks down the aisle, catches the eye of one of the guests and falls in love at first sight.
So who should the unexpected lover turn out to be? None other than the florist, Luce, played by Lena Headey, whom we later find out is conveniently a lesbian.
The wedding continues, the groom kisses the bride, and the couple is scheduled to live happily ever after. But as Rachel thinks increasingly about Luce, she tampers with the idea of seeking out the girl that, for a second, had stolen her heart. What follows is a series of events that, one can only imagine, are supposed to be funny.
Yet the biggest disappointment isn’t the comedy. The film completely overlooks the controversial idea of a woman who considers leaving her husband for, not another man, but another woman. Lesbianism, which one might think would be the focus of the drama, is more of a running joke than a point of conflict.
As said before, the British have their own way of doing things. And with recent developments in England – gay marriage being legalized – the Brits have proven that they are less squeamish with homosexuality than Americans as a whole.
So, to be fair, perhaps the British wouldn’t see the budding homosexuality of the main character as a point for serious examination. Perhaps it’s simply natural for them, something they’re quite used to. If that’s the case, then the film shouldn’t have any problems with British audiences. They’d even catch most of the jokes.
But in America, we celebrate controversy. Whereas two gay cowboys are in the running for several Academy Awards, this film overlooked the very thing that made it novel and unique. When you take out the homosexual nature of the plot, it turns out to be nothing more than another love triangle.
Ultimately, the film wraps up with an ending that is fluffy and makes everyone smile. But it’s one that could only happen in a movie, so it’s nothing to cheer for.
It’s not that the film is horrible, nor is it something that viewers shouldn’t see. It’s just that American audiences should wait until the film has been translated into American English.
Colin Lacy can be reached at [email protected].
