The Accidental Husband, starring Uma Thurman and Colin Firth -- A Movie Review and Summary

Dr. Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman) is at the height of her career - she has one of the most popular radio talk shows in the city, her book just got published, and she's about to marry the man that even her nit-picky standards has pegged as the perfect husband (Colin Firth). Unfortunately for Dr. Lloyd, she gave one of her callers to her Real Love show advice to dump the caller's fiancé on the verge of their own wedding. The caller's jilted significant other, Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is understandably very upset - and has access to a techno-savvy friend who hacks into public records and submits Sullivan's marriage certificate...to Emma Lloyd. When Lloyd and her fiancé, Richard, go to the courthouse to get their marriage license, she discovers she's somehow already married, and must hunt down a very uncooperative Sullivan to get annulment papers signed. Along the way, Sullivan manages to worm his way into Lloyd's life and change it forever.

As with pretty much any romantic comedy, there's really no secret where this one is going - but the fun is all in the storytelling to get there. How is it that Colin Firth always plays this nice guy that somehow gets the short end of the stick next to "Mr. Wrong" and may or may not win out in the end? Firth's portrayal of Richard in The Accidental Husband looked like nothing so much as his role of Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary. While there's nothing new for him in the role, he does play the part quite well. As for Jeffrey Dean Morgan, he played the perfect uncouth, unrefined, but completely charming opposite.

The script - could use some work in places. While it was an entertaining movie overall, there were some portions of rapid-fire dialog that were just painful and annoying to listen to. True, most of the people involved are high-powered career people who are wound way too tight as it is, but you might end up dizzy or with a bit of a headache keeping up. Luckily this only lasts for about half the movie, then people start to slow down and act a little more human - or at least slightly more introspective.

Anyone looking for a really good purely chick flick about finding "The One" in the strangest ways and contrary to the greatest odds, this one is probably a good choice. That said, there is plenty in this film to make it good fodder for a girl's night in - especially for the frustrated and the desperate -- and in most cases would take a very patient man to watch it all the way through.

Overall, this is pretty typical romantic comedy fare, and worth watching if you normally enjoy the genre. That said, there's certainly nothing new, mind-blowing, or especially profound anywhere here. The acting is decent, the script is alright, the chemistry near the end actually gets pretty convincing (that seems to be Jeffrey Dean Morgan's forte), and the overall story is satisfying for those looking for a charming romance.