Typically, romantic comedies end up as easy targets for the critics and beloved classics for women. Way too often they offer up a slightly different version of the same old story. You know the drill--a man and woman who are obviously in love with each other, but for some crazy reason remain blind to it right up until the end. Thankfully, once in a while a Romantic Comedy is able to transcend the same tired formula, and Someone Like You is just such a movie.

Ashley Judd plays a woman plagued with bad luck in the romance department. She feels she may have met the man of her dreams in the form of Greg Kinnear, but suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of heartache. Enter Hugh Jackman (X-Men), a womanizing co-worker who desperately needs to find a roommate. In a weak moment of emotional turmoil, Judd takes Jackman up on his roommate offer, mostly in an attempt to get Kinnear's goat. Before long, the new roommates find themselves bonding in a strong friendship.

Now I'd be a liar if I told you I didn't know where this film was going. I'd also be a liar if I told you I didn't know who would end up with whom before the credits rolled. There's no getting around that in a Romantic Comedy. What sucked me in the most, was the convincing performance by Judd and and another great turn by the enormously charismatic Jackman. Judd plays the tough-but vulnerable victim with a touching sincerity--I think her strongest word to date. And Jackman's easy likability transforms a one-dimensional character into one of surprising depth.

The picture was directed by actor Tony Goldwyn (you may remember him as the creep in Ghost or by his directorial debut A Walk On the Moon) and although the film becomes bogged down a bit by a few tedious subplots, it manages to stay afloat with fantastic acting and some keen observations on such topics as casual sex and how men and woman view dating. In fact, I found this film much more insightful than an episode of Sex and the City.

I must confess that I've never been a huge fan of Ashley Judd, but in this picture she really won me over. Jackman is a star on the rise, and I expect that he'll be in high demand within the next couple of years. Goldwyn is definitely an actor's director, and it really shows in Someone Like You. I just wish he would have checked some of the excess baggage at the door. Still, this is a quiet little gem of a film with some really great moments. It's also a great date movie if you can get past that silly, and overly staged kiss at the end of the film.