THE universal groan from boyfriends still resonates whenever the latest romantic-comedy breezes on to our cinema screens, but there is a lot to be learnt in terms of what type of guy ultimately gets his gal.

The Accidental Husband begins with the girlfriend of New York fireman Patrick Sullivan watching him play football with his boorish mates and wondering whether he really is right for her.

She rings radio love-doctor Emma Lloyd who advises her to bail out of the relationship — which she does immediately (and women call men fickle!).

Sullivan is heartbroken, but has the chance to get even with Dr Lloyd when his friend's son, a computer whizz-kid, hacks into the state records and officially marries them.

Having set up this pretty implausible situation, the story creaks into action as the normally unflappable Emma (Uma Thurman) finds her own love life becoming more and more tangled.

Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, recently seen in P.S. I Love You) is a less goofy version of Ross from Friends whom all the ladies swoon over.

By contrast, Emma's fiancé Richard (Colin Firth) is a thoroughly decent chap, but has no charisma and offers little in the way of excitement.

Suddenly the tables are turned on the love doctor as she finds herself trying to cope with her own emotions, which defy the logical advice she has dispensed so often to others.

The Accidental Husband is so lightweight it's easy to sit through, but this is a poor reason to give the film too much praise.

Uma Thurman does her best as a dizzy Goldie Hawn-type, but most of her attempts at comedy fall flat and her character never really gets the audience on her side.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan doesn't do a great deal either, but in fairness he has a suitably cheeky grin and exudes enough charm to keep the plot from going under.

The storyline meanders harmlessly along to its inevitable conclusion, managing to be inoffensive and mildly entertaining.

The premise of a woman about to embark on a dull marriage, but rescued at the last minute by somebody exciting and full of life probably strikes a chord with many of the female audience.

Men who think watching the telly with a pizza and four cans of lager counts as a treat night for their other half should take note.

As a by-the-numbers romantic comedy this just about works, although everybody involved should hang their heads at the blatant lack of originality or effort.

While I'm loathe to recommend something so contrived, for shallow escapism there are worse ways to while away 90 minutes.

Overall – 6/10