Witty, wise and wonderful debut from Minghella, grounded in a closely
observed North London, buoyed by great performances from the
principals and a host of spot-on minor characters. Stevenson plays the
girl trying to get over the death of her lover (Rickman, at his most
endearing), who complicates things by returning as a ghost, and
bringing his dead, video-fixated mates in tow. There are
heart-rending moments, as you'd expect in a grown-up film about
bereavement, but also a lot of laughs - both coming from the genuine
humanity of Minghella's own script.
