A Kiss for Jed

Now, this could be interesting. Mark O'Halloran can write – no doubt about the talent behind Prosperity, Garage and Adam & Paul – but can he pull off playing the lead in a straight up silly rom-com? Hmmm. Let's see...

O'Halloran plays a middle-aged documentary maker and American Civil War fanatic who can't find work he's skilled for so has to take shite work like following 19-year-old Antrim firecracker Orla (Wisener) around New York. Why? Orla has won some sort of prize on some sort of Irish reality TV show and gets to travel to New York to track down and dog into Country & Western singer Jed Wood (Neal Bledsoe). O'Halloran thinks the job is beneath him but is prepared to give it a go so you can imagine his humour when the flaky Orla wants to shop more than work. But is she exactly what the all-too-serious O'Hallorn needs to light up his dreary world?

Yes, is the short answer to that one. There's no doubt about the outcome despite the age gap, despite the 'obstacles' (she has a thing for the handsome Country singer she's stalking) and despite she's annoying. I mean, really, really annoying. It's not Jayne Wisener's fault as she's probably asked to be this shrill and kudos to her she certainly gives herself to the character: imagine if one of the Bosco presenters got a bit uppity and had notions of themselves. Liking this comedy all depends on how you like her. I didn't.

But then you have O'Halloran grounding everything as best he can. O'Halloran, who has the harder job in being drab yet charming as he squirrels away trying to do decent work in a job he hates. But you're sitting there waiting for him to find what's behind Orla's smile and get to the heart of the girl and nothing comes of it. A Kiss For Jed sticks to its guns and keeps things fluffy.

It's a no-pretensions romantic comedy that you’d see Colin Firth and Jennifer Aniston fop about it in - that's a 'Bridget Jones Bad Jumper Firth' and not a 'A Single Man Sharp Suit Firth' with a Jennifer Aniston In Everything She's In Bar The Good Girl Which She's Quite Good In Jennifer Aniston.