Shooting Fish

Calling to mind the whimsical, swinging London comedies of the 1960s, such as the Blake Edwards Pink Panther films and the collaborations of The Beatles with director Richard Lester , this frantic romantic comedy is an airy, pop example of the British New Wave. Dylan Dan Futterman and Jez Stuart Townsend are friends from opposite sides of the Atlantic using their special skills — Dylan is a slick-talking American, while Jez is a humble British computer expert — to bilk England's wealthy. Both orphans, they plan to accumulate enough pounds to buy the luxurious mansion home they never had as children. Their scams include selling phony voice-recognition software and reinstalling the same insulation into various homes. Into their lives comes Georgie ( Kate Beckinsale ), a beautiful girl engaged to a rich jerk. Dylan and Jez hire Georgie as a secretary and both fall in love with her, though Jez's feelings are a bit more sincere. At first appalled by her employers' scams, Georgie believes their lie that they intend to give the money to the poor. — Karl Williams