Paperback Romance Reviews

Forget about cracking the spine on this one. Australian director Ben Lewin's attempt at romantic comedy is really just a vulgar bit of burlesque predicated on its charming heroine's low self-esteem. Gia Carides stars as Sophie, a romance novelist who publishes her steamy erotic fantasies under the sultry nom de plume Desiree Jones. But for Sophie, writing is more than just a job -- it's also all she has of a romantic life. Since polio left her disabled at the tender age of 6, Sophie has only dared to enact her sexual fantasies on paper. One afternoon at the library, she meets Eddie (Anthony LaPaglia), a dashing -- and engaged -- antique-jewelry dealer. Eddie thinks she's the perfect woman (he doesn't notice the brace) and is disappointed when the hopelessly insecure Sophie turns him down. But after she fortuitously breaks her bum leg and must wear a concealing cast, she realizes the chance of a lifetime and begins pursuing Eddie, spinning a web of lies as the film clumsily lurches towards its awful moment of truth. One would hope that after a lifetime of wearing a leg-brace, the beautiful Sophie would feel a little more comfortable about herself, but everything depends on Sophie believing herself to be Lady Quasimodo. Lewin intercuts his basically flaccid, sexless plot with scenes from Sophie's naughty imagination, and tries to spice things up with such gauche touches as full-screen buttocks shots and an extreme close-up of Eddie's bleeding tongue (don't ask). But Lewin saves the real low-point for Sophie's humiliating bargain with Gloria (Rebecca Gibney), Eddie's bitchy Ivana-be fiance. Lame.