Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

An ensemble rom-com that requires a love of salsa. If this love is lacking in the audience, they will often be bored. The opening is set in the salsa club that connects the characters, is long and dull and drenched in a cheap-looking murky red, which isn't going to snag the interest of a passing viewer. This is reprised throughout the film along with drawn out shots of London roads, adding to the lethargic and depressing tone.However, Born Romantic does have an interesting set up, once it gets around to it, and each of the three male leads have intriguing back stories. Fergus has come to London to find the love he jilted eight years ago. Frankie lives in a sinking house with his ex-wife. Eddie is a petty thief looking after his senile father. Unfortunately their female equivalents are less developed. Mo is a slag (broken heart), Eleanor a snob (high standards) and Jocelyn a kook (fear of death). It feels very much that each couple ends up together only because there isn't space in the film for them to think about meeting anyone else and the ending is unsatisfactory because from all signs the relationships between Fergus and Mo, and Frankie and Eleanor are doomed, with them only getting together because they are tired of fighting. The sweeter relationship between Eddie and Jocelyn may last, but these two characters have the least depth in reality so it is hard to consider them real people at all.Fergus, Frankie and Eddie pursue their ladies, their stories connected by a salsa club and a widower taxi driver, but while individual scenes can be enlightening and well crafted, they are never enough. The whole film suffers from its disjointed nature and it ultimately has too many characters and plots to give any the depth they deserve. While this is the risk of all ensemble films, Born Romantic doesn't have anything else to it to fall back on.

This is a very enjoyable British budget film from David Kane. It probably would not win any awards but it really is a lot of fun. It contains a bunch of misfits all looking for love - they all have the local salsa club in common and the film takes place in and around this point. It has a great cast - none of them famous but all of them very well cast and you do care what happens to the characters (always a good sign)and the film is very funny. It also has a great soundtrack. If you like Latin American music and you enjoy a gentle comedy you this is a film for you! I would not hesitate to recommend this film and anything else from David Kane. If I had to give marks out of ten, it would score at least eight!

*Spoilers may be contained in this comment*Okay, I admit it, I only watched this film because it was the only thing in the TV pages of a certain magazine that was a film, and not on SKY telly. That's the only reason I bothered staying up until 11:30pm to watch it. I have to admit, the knowledge that Jane Horrocks and Jimmi Mistry were in it made me think that it should be good, seeing as both these actors have been in some of the funniest things I've seen, but in truth, the whole film was just a stream of drivel.It could have been good, if they had focussed on just one couple, instead of on all three, also, it just wasn't funny. The funniest bits were the fleabag Eddie (Jimi Mistry) trying to rob his girlfriend, (by accident) a clued up cab driver, and an innocent bystander, and the bit where an ashtray falls off a table. That's how dull this movie is. Oh, and when Fergus still has his socks on in bed, that made me giggle a bit. Only watch this if you suffer from insomnia.

"Born Romantic" uses the revolving door approach to studying the relationships of a half dozen quirky characters and their romantic relationships which are in various states of disarray. Full of wry British humor, lots of salsa dancing, and with a cab driver playing a sort of "Dan Cupid" type, "Born Romantic" is considerably more clever than its recent American counterpart "Sidewalks of New York", although they are at different ends of the romantic comedy genre. A fun and funny watch for those who enjoy British films.