Film Pick of the Week: Love, Guaranteed - review by Yvette Huddleston

One day a handsome stranger called Nick (Damon Wayans Jr) drops in to her office and explains that he would like to sue the (fictional) dating website known as Love Guaranteed. He argues that they are misleading the lonely and vulnerable into believing that love is guaranteed, when in fact it is a lot less predictable than that. He then goes on to tell her: “I’ve been on 986 dates and not one of them has provided me love.” He has been very diligent – going on breakfast, lunch and dinner dates to prove his point.

Once Susan has got over the shock of the nearly 1,000 dates, the number by which Love Guaranteed claims you will find love, she decides that Nick is just out to make money and is of a mind to decline his business. The problem is that her small law firm is struggling financially and, against her better judgement, persuaded by her two quirky colleagues, she takes it on. Susan is an old-fashioned kind of woman – she believes in love and drives a vintage car – and has never signed up to a dating app, but for the sake of research she does. The few dates she goes on (all awful) confirm it's not for her.

Meanwhile she is preparing for her courtroom appearance which involves interviewing some of Nick’s dates as well as the ex-girlfriend who broke his heart. She begins to understand a little better what motivates him and finds that the preconceived ideas she had about him were incorrect. He is actually a nice guy; he works as a physio at a rehabilitation centre and plans to donate any money he might win from the court case to improving the facilities. As the court date approaches, could romance be in the air? Of course it could.

There is a lovely sparky chemistry between Cook and Wayans Jr, the script is peppered with some neat one-liners and there is a nice scene-stealing cameo by Heather Graham as self-obsessed lifestyle guru Tamara Taylor, founder and CEO of Love Guaranteed. Everything pans out in a fairly predictable, cosy and uplifting manner – which is all part of the charm of this kind of movie. Warm glow guaranteed.