This small movie is typically one of those showcases for an actress like Nicole Kidman to -once again- strut her stuff as an accomplished actress. She plays the Russian mail-order bride Sophia that turns the world of a bland bank clerk, John (Ben Chaplin), upside down and inside out. This poor guy gets more than what he bargained for as his humdrum life will never be the same when things really turn awry -and the movie subsequently sways a bit out off course.

The initial idea of the mail-order bride hooking up with the mild-mannered, somewhat dull guy who lives his routine small-town life in a desperate search of some romance in his unexciting life, is a very fresh one. However, it then turns out to be more than a typical feel-good movie or typical screwball comedy; which, in itself, is good. As the story develops, other ingredients are introduced and the mild comedy veers off to dark comedy with a little drama and some thriller bits. This gets introduced by the two uninvited guests that follow in Sophia’s wake: Russian guys Alexei (Vincent Cassel) and Yuri (Mathieu Kassovitz), who will overstay their welcome big time. It is here where the sense of the movie gets muddled up: it cannot seem to choose between the different genre elements, so you’re left with a somewhat wrong-footing mishmash.

But this is not a bad movie. Some conventions are respected, as the love interest is the main theme throughout the movie. Kidman plays quite well and Chaplin gives good shape to the withdrawn loner. Why they got buddies Kassovitz and Cassel to play Russians (they are French) beats me, but it’s always good to see these two together. If you can look through the illogical choices that some of the characters make, it’s quite an entertaining little movie. The fusing of different genres isn’t always that successful altogether, but gets commendation for trying.

I rate this *** out of 5.