Based on Alain de Botton's novel Essays in Love, this self-consciously smart romantic comedy begins with Duncan, a London architect, writing a farewell note, then recalling the assorted girls who drove him to suicide. Woody Allen is clearly Kemp's model, and the self-pitying protagonist sees his life as a theme park, recording his disastrous life as sideshows. The girls are attractive enough, though only Naomie Harris has much life, and the film's chief appeal is likely to reside in its numerous fashionable locations.