“Book of Love” (M) *

“STILL, who couldn’t use a little amusing, energetic fluff these days as a passing tonic to the real world around us?” 

That comment, winding up the gently acerbic take by the “Los Angeles Times” on Mexican writer/director Analeine Cal y Mayor’s fourth feature, implies a mild regret that this rom-com might have been more effective if had bitten its theme a little more confidently. 

Publisher Jen (Lucy Punch in a caricature of that profession) finds that England won’t buy Henry’s (Sam Claflin) novel, “The Sensible Heart”. When she learns that an unauthorised Spanish translation is selling like hot cakes in Mexico, she sends him, much against his wishes, to promote it south of the border. Shock, horror; cliche-warning on the horizon.

The translator is housemaid Maria (aren’t all female Mexican characters in movies called Maria?) caring for Diego, her cute little son (Ruy Gaytan) from a failed marriage with musician Antonio (Horacio García Rojas) whose relaxed style and ponytail are a world away from Henry’s up-tight aspiring man of letters.

Eventually, Henry will realise Maria’s worth (but not too quickly – the film runs for 106 minutes and in matters of the heart, he’s a slow learner) but first he has to deal with the mild shock of learning that she has completely rewritten “The Sensible Heart” and turned its sexless story into a lusty, passion-filled romance that has set libidos racing nationwide. Mexicans needing literary stimulus to activate their libidos? You’ve gotta be joking!

The “Book of Love” cliché-rate per minute of run time may be a tad higher than that of “Off The Rails” but it’s more intelligently designed. Refer again to the “LA Times” take above.

At all cinemas.