Venus was perhaps likely to be one of those films I judged too quickly and wouldn’t bother to watch. Well, luckily it just appeared from nowhere when I had nothing else to watch. I’d blame the marketing. And perhaps the idea can sound somewhat less exciting than some other films. It is, however, a marvellous film. It didn’t do too well at the time in the BIFA awards, but it did have a nomination or few, and even won some. But then again it was up against a nice stack of films – The Last King of Scotland, The Queen and This is England. Written by Hanif Kureishi (My Son the Fanatic) and directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill), Venus is a gripping and well written little comedy starring Peter O’Toole and Jodie Whittaker.

Peter O’Toole is absolutely brilliant, but then again he has done some acting before. And Jodie Whittaker is like a breath of fresh air. Perfect casting. Regardless of anything, this one made me smile all the way through.