The Accidental Husband Synopsis: When talk radio host Emma Lloyd advises one of her listeners to break up with her boyfriend, the jilted ex sets about getting his revenge.
Famed love expert Dr. Emma Lloyd has a radio show where she takes calls from listeners and gives advice. When a woman calls in with reservations about getting married, Emma advises the woman to break off the engagement, which she does.
Patrick, the jilted fiancé, decides to give Emma a taste of her own medicine by allowing a young neighbor in his building to hack into the city’s public records to create a fake marriage certificate indicating that she and Patrick are married. Emma discovers the “glitch” when she and her fiancé Richard apply for a marriage license. Faced with the problem, just before the launch of her new book, Emma sets out to find Patrick and set things right.
I was surprised The Accidental Husband wasn’t released in the theaters, considering it featured Uma Thurman and Colin Firth. Then I saw the production company had shut down, so it was released straight to DVD. Honestly, I don’t think I had heard of this movie until earlier this year.
The Accidental Husband is a surprisingly cute rom-com. Is it cliché? Yes. Is it predictable? Of course, it is. Did I still find it entertaining and romantic? Obviously.
Despite falling in love with another man while engaged to Colin Firth, Uma Thurman strikes a nice balance between neurotic and vulnerable. She had the necessary chemistry with both male leads, but of course, it’s clear that the more laid-back, ruggedly handsome Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be the right man for Thurman’s sophisticated Emma.
That’s not to say Colin Firth’s Richard is the typical brute that rom-com heroines find themselves with before meeting the actual love of their lives, though for a brief moment, I was afraid the film would reveal him as a self-serving jerk. But no, Richard is simply a man who’s found a good match for marriage while trying to sell Emma’s book and not stress eat (which he does often and to my great delight). You can’t help but feel sorry for Richard, even when you know he’s not likely to end up with the girl.
There are a lot of silly shenanigans that occur during Emma and Patrick’s romantic journey, and sure, there are a few plot holes here and there, but continuity isn’t so much an issue when you get to watch Jeffrey Dean Morgan sweep Emma off her feet. He’s charming enough that it’s difficult to peg him as a jerk for turning Emma’s life upside down. Am I excusing a so-so plot because the men involved are so gorgeous? Maybe. But I enjoy opposites attract romance, and Emma and Patrick are pretty cute together. I have to say, though, Richard deserved a sequel to find his own Patrick… lady-Patrick?
Directed by Griffin Dunne (Practical Magic, Addicted to Love), The Accidental Husband doesn’t bring anything new to the genre. It follows the tried and true rom-com formula to a T, and it’s the kind of movie that, if you get distracted for a moment or two, you haven’t missed much. But it’s still light-hearted, humorous, and worth a watch if you’re looking for a brainless, rainy-day rom-com.
Watched: 04/06/2022
Notable Song: Every Woman in the World by Air Supply
