A misleading title and a different type of performance from Hugh Grant are two of the offbeat features of An Awfully Big Adventure. Virginal theatre fanatic Stella (Georgina Cates), who speaks with her dead mother by phone, joins a theatrical troupe in 1947 England headed by manipulative director Meredith Potter (Grant). Stella quickly falls for Potter, but he doesn't return her affections, driving her into the arms of the troupe's arrogant star, P.L. O'Hara (Alan Rickman). O'Hara eventually takes Stella's virginity, although she secretly remains devoted to Potter. More secrets of the troupe are revealed at the story's climax, although nothing is really resolved to any of the characters' satisfaction. Not quite a satire and not quite a drama, An Awfully Big Adventure is occasionally mean-spirited and frequently dour, which may just be a result of its subject matter. Don Kaye, Rovi
A professional collaboration between a popular lyricist and a washed-up musician takes a decidedly personal turn as the pair gradually finds their relationship developing into something much deeper in a romantic comedy directed by Marc Lawrence and starring Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. Alex Fletcher (Grant) may have been all the rage in the 1980s, but these days he's lucky to get a gig playing at the local county fair. Just when it seems as if things couldn't get any more bleak for the dejected has-been rocker, reigning pop diva Cora Corman (Haley Bennett) offers Alex the opportunity of a lifetime -- write and record a duet to be sung with her and watch his career receive a much-needed boost as the nostalgia-crazed public laps it up. Little does Cora realize that not only has it been years since Alex has written a song, but he's never actually written a single lyric. Now, if he hopes to make the comeback needed to save him from a life of complete and utter obscurity, Alex will have to craft a radio-friendly hit in a matter of mere days. Luckily for Alex, his quirky plant-keeper Sophie Fisher (Barrymore) has quite a way with words and may possess just the kind of songwriting talent needed to make such a hit happen. Unfortunately the beguiling Sophie is still reeling from a recent break-up with newly famous novelist Sloan Cates (Campbell Scott), and she isn't quite sure if she's ready for any kind of collaboration right now -- romantic or otherwise. Despite Alex's hesitation to commit and Sophie's reluctance to collaborate, the pair quickly discovers that a little chemistry can go a long way in healing the wounds of the past and laying the foundation for a much-deserved future of happiness and success. Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama
- Category Gangster Film, Comedy of Errors, Coming-of-Age, Showbiz Drama, Workplace Comedy, Romantic Comedy
- Theme: Culture Clash, Fish Out of Water, Opposites Attract, Lawyers, Stop the Wrecking Ball, Actor's Life, All Washed Up, Age Disparity Romance
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run Time: 07 hr 01 min
- Language: French, English, Spanish
- Subtitle Language: French, English, Spanish
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Release Date: October 14, 2008
- Lead Actor: Alan Rickman, Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore
- Supporting Actor: Tim Kang, Mike Piazza, Nicola Pagett, Patti Love, Shannon Fiedler, Teagle F. Bougere, Tom Hickey, Willie Smith, Norah Jones, Sebastian R. Rand, Sharon Wilkins, Jose Ramon Rosario, John Cunningham, Jason Antoon, James Frain, Edward Petherbridge, Donald Trump, Clive Merrison, Chris Kenevey, Brendan Conroy, Becky Ann Baker, Agnes Bernelle, Adam Grupper, Mark Zeisler, Mark Feuerstein, Marina Lutz, Mandy Siegfried, Johnny Dee, Janine LaManna, Gerard McSorley, Earl Gill, Dori Kancher, David Aaron Baker, Charlotte Maier, Brian McGrath, Adam Le Fevre, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Carol Drinkwater, Alan Cox, Bill Bowers, Francie Swift, George Gearhart King III, Johnny Murphy, Katheryn Winnick, Pat Laffan, Peter O'Farrell, Rita Tushingham, Rocco Musacchia, Scott Porter, Veanne Cox, Wynter Kullman, William Thourlby, Hilary Reynolds, Iraida Polanco, Joe Badalucco, John Drummond, Libby West, Nadine Mozon, Elizabeth Owens, Ruth McCabe, James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Brad Garrett, Alicia Witt, Georgina Cates, Burt Young, Alun Armstrong, Kristen Johnston, Dana Ivey, Peter Firth, James Fox, Haley Bennett, Robert Klein, Prunella Scales, Heather Burns, Aasif Mandvi, Joe Viterelli, Gerry Becker, David Haig, Campbell Scott, Dorian Missick, Maddie Corman, Matthew J. Morrison, Tony Darrow, Paul Lazar, Vincent Pastore, Frank Pellegrino, Scott Thompson, John Ventimiglia
- Director: Kelly Makin, Mike Newell, Marc Lawrence