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Hollywood has routinely remade films from other countries for most of its existence, so it's pleasing in a way to see a film that is obviously a rip-off of two of Hollywood's successes. The rip-off is Me and Mrs Jones and the films they are stealing ideas (and even bits of dialogue) from are Rob Reiner's movie for Castle Rock, The American President, and Ivan Reitman's White House comedy Dave.
The American President was about a US President who falls in love while in office, and the political as well as personal complications that ensue. Me And Mrs Jones is about a British Prime Minister who falls in love while in office, and the political as well as personal complications that ensue.There are some significant differences, however. The sexes have been switched, for starters.
The US President was male (Michael Douglas); the PM is female (Caroline Goodall). He was a widower; she is married. There are scenes that are almost direct copies, like the President's/PM's walk from residential quarters to office, with various staffers joining him/her along the way each in full cry over some issue or other.
Similarly, with dialogue: in Reiner's film, lobbyist Annette Bening reminds Michael Douglas' President that she is becoming romantically involved with "the leader of the free world"; in the British film, Robson Green's journalist pretending to be a fund-raiser observes to Goodall that he is becoming chummy with "one of the leaders of the Western world".
There's even a token ethnic staffer (Nitin Ganatra), just like there was in Douglas' White House. For good measure there is also one scene (the incognito car drive where the police jump them for a traffic offence) and some other bits of business that are lifted straight from Dave.
Nevertheless, for all the deficiencies and plagiarisms in Caleb Ransom's script, Me and Mrs Jones is a likeable light romantic drama.To allow for Caroline Goodall's character to have a love affair without viewer criticism, her husband is made gay. Philip Quast plays this character with sympathy and understanding, most crucially retaining our sympathy whilst preparing to leave his wife.
Admittedly, for most of the time, Goodall never actually impresses as having what it takes to become Prime Minister in the first place. However, in the well-handled scene of the television debate where, to the amazement of her staff, she turns the tables on the Leader of the Opposition, she does show a little of the necessary steel.
The supporting characters are all excellent, although the one that makes an impact for me is Aisling O'Sullivan as the PM's elegant female bodyguard, Max. Not exactly pretty, O'Sullivan makes her character both forceful and likeable.
