When, during a restaurant dinner, wife Emily (Julianne Moore) announces that, because the batteries in their 30 year marriage have gone flat, she wants a divorce and then confesses she slept with a work colleague (a weaselly Kevin Bacon), fortysomething Cal Weaver (Steve Carell), an ordinary nice but slightly dull guy, is so dumbfounded, he just packs his bags and leaves. Though he does sneak back at nights to tend to the garden.

One evening, drowning his sorrows in a local bar and pouring out his self-pitying sob story yet again, he’s approached by Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), a blonde haired lady’s man he’s seen smoothly chatting up and walking way with any number of beautiful women. A confirmed womaniser, appalled at Cal’s wallowing, Jacob offers to give him a manhood make-over and share his tips on the banter that makes him irresistible to women. Badgered into agreeing to become the Karate Kid to Jacob’s Mr Miyagi, a few shopping montages and abortive early runs later, Cal’s become a changed man. He has a new look and a new self-confident personality that sees him making conquest after conquest, flighty teacher Marisa Tomei among them.

However, what Cal really wants his to get back with Emily, the soul mate he met in high school and, until now, the only woman he’s ever been with. The collapse of his marriage is also having a bad effect on 13 year old son, Robbie  (Jonah Bobo) who thinks dad’s a loser for not fighting to save the relationship. He’s also got a huge crush on his 17 year old babysitter (shining newcomer Analeigh Tipton), so it’s bad enough that she doesn’t feel the same way, but even worse when he finds out that she’s got a crush on his dad!  No wonder he’s stopped believing in true love and soul mates forever.

Meanwhile, Jacob’s been thrown into a spin by Hannah (Emma Stone), the law student who proved resistant to his chat up. Unexpectedly, he’s found himself having fallen for her while she’s hoping that the big surprise her boyfriend boss (singer Josh Groban making a not bad debut) is going to deliver when she qualifies is a marriage proposal.

Building slowly to a big revelation you really don’t see coming, it’s packed with smart and sharp one-liners and while the lessons – be true to yourself, seize the day, fight for what you want – may not be original, they do have an honest ring about them thanks to terrific performances by the entire cast. Hilarious and touching in equal measure, if you wish they still made romcoms like Love, Actually, then this is what you’ve been waiting for. Especially if you have a soft spot for that special uplift moment in Dirty Dancing.  Mind you, in hindsight, Robbie’s text about Demi and Ashton might not have been such a great idea.