The Calcium Kid (15)... Rating: 3/5.
Rising star Orlando Bloom heads the cast of this improbable comedy about a nobody who has the chance to turn from zero to hero overnight.
Bloom plays Jimmy Connelly (pictured below), a likeable milkman from south London who spars with boxer Pete Wright (Tamer Hassan) as he prepares for a world championship bout.
Unfortunately, Connelly's ends up breaking with title contender's hand, such is the strength of his skull, apparently due to his propensity for downing pintas in one go.
Pete's verbose manager, played by comedian Omid Djalili, quickly turns to Jimmy as an 11th hour replacement and hands him the understandable monicker, jimmy The Calcium Kid' Connelly.
So begins a classic fish-out-of-water scenario, filmed as a mock documentary which at times gets a little tiresome.
Bloom is fine as the nave wannabe unwittingly thrust into the limelight, but he gets good support from a fine all-round cast, with Djamili in particular displaying great comic timing.
The plot inevitably starts to unravel as the big fight night approaches, but there's enough going to warrant your attention and the ending neatly pulls together all the loose ends.
Notable for the big screen debut of Billie Piper, who has little to do except smile and wear a skimpy outfit, The Calcium Kid also features cameos from ex-boxers Frank Bruno and Chris Eubank.
In fact, one of the highlights can be found in the DVD version's extras, where Bruno does a spot-on impression for Eubank.
It's just a shame that the film features the occasional foul language that prevents an otherwise knockabout fun film from reaching a wider audience.
It does, however, boast some great one-liners. My particular favourite is just because the sun's behind the clouds, it doesn't mean it's not shining'. With an attitude like that, how can you possibly fail in life?
Out to rent or buy on video and DVD.
Universal Pictures Video.
Win A Date With Tad Hamilton (12... Rating: 2/5. When top movie star Tad Hamilton discovers his glittering film career is stalling after some bad PR, he comes up with a bright idea to get it back into gear.
So explains the title of this inoffensive, all- American romantic comedy from Robert Luketic, director of Legally Blonde.
Josh Duhamel plays Hollywood's hottest eligible bachelor who makes the most of his reputation to get any girl he pleases.
But he gets more than he bargained for on his blind date with competition winner Rosalee Futch, a wholesome supermarket worker from West Virginia.
While she may be a big fan, Rosalee (Kate Bosworth) surprises Tad by refusing to fall for his pitiful patter, pinched from lines in his movies.
The experience has a profound effect on our Tad, who suddenly realises there's more to life and heads for Rosalee's home town to woo her properly.
Yet his advances also force Rosalee's boss (Topher Grace), who's admired her from afar for years, to finally reveal his hand.
Which love rival will our heroine choose? Well, it won't take much to guess the answer, but Win a Date is fun to watch along the way.
Out to rent or buy on video and DVD.
Universal Pictures Video.
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