Saturday at the Movies #88 - I saw the Decoy Bride

For those still on the hunt for showings of The Decoy Bride, we have on our hands that most elusive of things; the limited release. Often moviespeak for NY and LA, this also means "not in a theater near you if you live anywhere else." UK audiences got to see this in 2011, but fret not; if you have Cox Cable, it should be in the On Demand section, which is where I saw it (twice so far) or at Amazon Instant Video here.

Short review: I loved this movie.

Longer review: This is exactly the kind of romantic comedy that works for me. David Tennant and Kelly MacDonald played their parts to perfection, the scenery was gorgeous, the supporting cast relatable and firmly rooted in the setting. What sticks with me most, though are the characters and the romance.

Aspiring guidebook writer Katie returns home to the tiny isle of Hegg after breaking up with her bad boy ex-fiance, right in time for the wedding of another ex, the last single man on the island. She's also right in time for another wedding, that of British author James, whose famed novel, The Ornithologist's Wife, is set on Hegg, making it the perfect venue for James' wedding to American actress Lara. The media gets wind of the nuptials and Lara's people hatch a plan; they'll stage a fake wedding, using Katie as the faux bride.

Problems ensue when Lara goes missing and both James and Katie sign their real names in the register, which is, as Katie puts it, "the legal part." Add in a lovesick paparazzo and Katie's terminally ill mother, whose illness takes a back seat to a serious case of wanderlust, and a neglected bathroom that may or may not be haunted by a cow. With the press in pursuit, James and Katie (aka John Johnson and Toilet Girl, as they know each other) go on the lam together.

As a romance writer, watching a romance where both principals are writers was a special treat. James' writing anxieties and Katie's determination will strike a chord, and the subplot of James finding his muse in the most unlikely places is absolutely heartwarming. A scene with an elderly couple who mistake James-in-disguise for a favorite bagpiper could melt a heart of stone. The road to happily ever after isn't easy for James and Katie, but that's the charm of it. This film gives them the room and time to grow, make mistakes and make things right.

Long story short, I am snapping this puppy up the very first second I see it on DVD, and wil leave you with this clip of one of the lovely musical selections, "Hide You Far Away" by Will Nott.