January 27, 2003
It's stormy weather with a sprinkle of infidelity on the horizon for weather forecaster Faith Martin in British author Wolff's third romantic comedy (after The Making of Minty Malone). Faith is a happily married, blissfully dowdy mother of two, celebrating her 15th anniversary with her devoted husband, Peter. But a chance comment from Faith's childhood friend Lily, the glamorous editor of the up-and-coming magazine Moi, sets her wondering if maybe her life is just as dull as it is secure—and sends her into a tailspin of suspicion and paranoia as she convinces herself that Peter is cheating on her. As it turns out, she's right. Guided by the dubious advice of Lily, as well as by her psychoanalysis-spewing teenage daughter, Katie, Faith throws herself into the dating game and shakes up her ho-hum routine. A handsome graphic designer has her in his sights. Suddenly Peter is begging for forgiveness. All looks rosy, but has Faith bitten off more than she can chew? Though sometimes genuinely funny, the dialogue-driven narrative is thick with groan-out-loud puns—a hangover is "the wrath of grapes" and a boring man is "a clear case of mistaken nonentity." The odd plot twists feel contrived, and Faith herself is so clueless that she can be painful to watch. Many will doubtless identify with her predicament, but Faith's exaggerated ditziness takes some of the fun out of this light fare.