Juliet, Naked: An Off-Beat Romantic Comedy

This film has mixed reviews, but I liked it and Robin – as well as my close friend, Warren – loved it.  The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby, which I haven't read, so I don't know if the film is faithful to the novel or not. Annie (Rose Byrne) lives in a small coastal town in England with her boyfriend, Duncan (Chris O'Dowd).  She has a boring job and is ambivalent about having children, while Duncan doesn't seem to want them.  Duncan is obsessed with Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), an American folk-rock artist of some notoriety about 20 years ago, but he hasn't put out a CD since then.  Duncan comes across a boot-leg Tucker Crowe CD entitled "Juliet, Naked," and he posts a blog piece raving about it.  Annie makes a comment on the blog, panning it.  (One of several conflicts in Duncan's and Annie's relationship is that Annie doesn't share the same obsession and passion for Tucker Crowe as Duncan does.) It turns out that Tucker reads Duncan's blog and sends an email to Annie, telling her that her pan of his CD was right-on!  They then start emailing each other regularly.  Eventually, Tucker – who has a very screwed-up life and has been living in the USA – has a compelling reason to visit England, and wants to meet with Annie.  Tucker meets with Annie and an unusual love-triangle develops, partly because Duncan seems to be more enamored with Tucker than Annie! The story is original and the three leads are excellent.  The film is quirky, and has primarily self-deprecating and sarcastic humor.  It will work fine as a rental, but, if your are in the mood for an unusual romantic comedy, it's worth seeing now on the BS.  It's under the radar, but I think "Juliet, Naked" deserves more "exposure."