Film Review – The Love Punch

May 23rd, 2014 | POSTED BY Sarah Ksiazek

The comedy The Love Punch stars Emma Thompson and Pierce Brosnan as a divorced couple Kate and Richard. They are forced together to re-coup their pension and their kids’ college funds after Richard’s company is sold out beneath him and foreclosed upon. They go to Paris to confront the head of the company that ruined their financial lives, Vincent Kruger (Laurent Lafitte). Unfortunately, the businessman is not moved by their predicament. As Kate and Richard are about to give up, they discover that Victor’s fiancé, Manon (Louise Bourgoin), has the just-sold Rainbow Diamond set in a new necklace. The couple decides to steal the diamond from Victor at their wedding reception.

This plot seems a little ridiculous and far-fetched, no?  But honestly, comedies are not very close to reality these days. This Is the End, The Heat, The World’s End, and R.I.P.D. are all comedies from 2013 that are not grounded in reality (I know I am pushing “comedy” with that last one). Comedies will do just about anything for a laugh from the audience. The Love Punch takes an ex-couple’s serious predicament and decides to take it to outlandish and un-realistic levels.

Take the utter nonsense of the film out of the equation, and you still get to stare at the beautiful and witty Emma Thompson for 94 minutes. She continues to be one of the best actresses out there, and she is clearly having fun in this role. Her hair, facial expressions (un-botoxed), and her figure are to die for.  The film does make fun of her body and age compared to the twenty-somethings in one scene, but she looks great nonetheless. She clearly is the star of the film. She has great chemistry with Pierce Brosnan, whose character apparently started hitting the younger set after the divorce.

The cohorts in crime for Kate and Richard are the next door neighbors, Penelope (Celia Imrie) and Jerry (Timothy Spall). Once the plan is hatched to steal the diamond, the couple flies in to help them out.  Just the scene of them landing at the airport, strutting their stuff to a rap song is completely hilarious. Through their time in France, Penelope learns all this stuff about Jerry that he did pre-Penelope.  Jerry has quite a few questionable connections. The couple adds to the hilarity of the scenario.

The Love Punch is a movie marketed towards the baby boomer set. The main characters are all in their fifties and sixties. Maybe that age bracket will not be as critical of the plot and will enjoy the lamer jokes.  It is a good fun film, right along with the rest of the comedies that are just okay. They might get a few laughs out of you, but you are not bent over in laughter the whole time. Emma Thompson saved the film in my opinion. Put a lesser actress in Kate’s role, and it would be a bad film. The Love Punch will find its audience, and it’s an okay film to see for a matinee.  Just don’t expect it to be a clever comedy.

By the way, I have no idea why it is called The Love Punch.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVmdXE_iB8w&w=560&h=315]

Celia Imrie, Emma Thompson, Ketchup Entertainment, Laurent Lafitte, Louise Bourgoin, Love Punch, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Spall