Movie of the week: “Imagine me & you” Warning: SPOILERS!

The grapevine has been buzzing about this movie for months since it’s a welcome exception from your usual lesbian movie: it’s more like your usual British romantic comedy à la Richard Curtis’ “Love actually”. And indeed, the girl gets the girl in the end!

It’s Rachel’s (Piper Perabo) wedding day, and she couldn’t be happier to finally tie the knots with her future husband Heck (Matthew Goode). On the way to the altar, however, she locks eyes with Luce (Lena Headey) and it’s like a revelation. Rachel may be married to Heck, but she finds more and more excuses to spend her time with Luce – even more so after she finds out Luce is gay. Heck isn’t as preoccupied with work as it seems and soon figures out what is going on, even when Rachel isn’t sure herself what it is. What to do or more precisely, whom to chose?

Ol Parker’s debut is likeable enough with quirky characters and a nice, if a bit aimless story. It’s not the laugh out loud comedy one would expect from the tailer and surely nowhere near “Bridget Jones” et al., but it’s entertaining. Piper Perabo (who sports a rather convincing British accent) and Lena Headey make a believable couple the audience can easily root for, and that’s perhaps one of the best traits of “Imagine me & you”: almost no one quirks as much as an eyebrow at the notion that Rachel could have fallen in love with another woman. Unfortunately, director and writer Parker doesn’t go farther than that, most likely for fear of alienating the mainstream audience.

“Imagine me & you” may have a same-sex couple as the lead, but it is still a very straight film. Had it dared to go a few steps further, it would have certainly made it to my list of favorite lesbian movies of all times. As it is, it’s still a welcome addition to the “slightly queer” movie section which are fluffy entertainment.

3 out of 6 Meeps – average