'Sparks and Ember's is an odd film. It seems to be trying to be a compilation of other rom-com's. It's a little bit Richard Curtis, a little bit Woody Allen, and more than a little inspired by the 'Before Sunset' trilogy.

But is it any good on it's own merit? Annoyingly not quite. Because for all the hard work the two leads are clearly putting in they are let down by a very, very clichéd and weak script, that thinks lines like "you've pulled a cracker there mate" is the height of humour.

There are nice moments, but we've seen them all done so much better elsewhere.

I like Kris Marshall, but this film could never shake off the shadows of those it was clearly trying to imitate.