When it comes to romantic comedies it has to be said that so many sort of blend together as they retread the same old obvious storylines delivering the same old cliches and scenes but "Addicted to Love" is different. Well different in the fact that whilst it is obvious that from the moment Sam and Maggie meet they will fall for each other it is that they fall for each other while trying to sabotage a relationship which has formed between there ex's. This fact alone, that we watch them work together to stalk their ex's and make their lives a misery makes "Addicted to Love" so much more fun despite being able to predict what the final outcome will inevitably be.

For Sam (Matthew Broderick - The Cable Guy) life is almost perfect, he's good at his job as an astronomer and he is head over heals in love with Linda (Kelly Preston - Only You), that is until Linda goes to work in the city for two months and Sam receives a Dear John letter. In desperation Sam heads to the city where he discovers that he has been dumped for a French chef called Anton (Tchéky Karyo - Bad Boys) and he is not the only one feeling aggrieved as Anton's ex Maggie (Meg Ryan - When a Man Loves a Woman) is prepared to do anything to get her revenge on her cheating ex. Together Sam and Maggie work to destroy Anton and bring an end to his relationship with Linda but the more time they spend together the more they start to like each other.

Now as romantic comedies go you kind of have to accept that at times they're not going to be that realistic and so during the opening scenes which sees astronomer Sam using a giant telescope to study stars by day and then focus it on his partner in the park you have to accept it as you do the following scene where he's driving a pick up truck next to a plane as Linda flies off for work. But it sort of sets the mood and the character of Sam quite nicely that he is very much in love with Linda. Anyway that is just the opening and the real meat of "Addicted to Love" comes from Sam meeting Maggie and joining forces to destroy their ex's relationship in particular destroying the life of Maggie's ex Anton whilst Sam just hopes to be there for Linda when it all comes crashing down.

To be blunt the actual main part to "Addicted to Love" isn't that original but it is good fun as we watch Sam and Maggie systematically destroy Anton. It is all sort of stupid from getting a performing monkey in the park to put lipstick on his collar through to paying kids to squirt him with perfume but the evilness of it all is amusing. It's the fact that Maggie will stop at nothing till his life is in ruins makes for a surprise as does the way Sam ends up being almost as evil as she is.

But of course the real point to all of this is that Maggie and Sam end up falling for each other and inevitably they will struggle to show their true feelings for each other leading to some last minute realisation and emotional decisions. Despite being seriously obvious there is something quite nice to watching Maggie and Sam fall for each other whilst destroying another relationship. And part of the master stroke is the use of a camera obscura which Sam sets up which projects what is happening in Anton and Linda's apartment onto the wall of the derelict one he makes home. There is something very romantic about it, from the initial scenes as Sam does it so that he can feel close to Linda through to Sam and Maggie watching it together on the sofa as if they are watching an old movie being projected on to their walls. And the way the two relationships run in opposite directions as Sam and Maggie initially don't get on to becoming close as Anton and Linda go from loving to arguing serves up a nice reflective symmetry which in many ways the camera obscura symbolises.

But whilst all of this is fun it has to be said that there is a single reason, one actress who makes it come together and that is Meg Ryan as Maggie. She may not be playing the vulnerable, soft romantic here but beneath the icy exterior and the need for revenge Maggie is loveable, she is fun and caring as well as feisty and you can't but help fall for her. As such Meg Ryan dominates all the scenes she is in which isn't to say the rest of the cast are bad as Matthew Broderick as Sam puts in a solid performance but she is so good that you end up watching her rather than anyone else.

What this all boils down to is that whilst the final outcome of "Addicted to Love" is obvious the actual journey from start to finish is an enjoyable one. It's more fun than romantic as it revolves around the destruction of a relationship but it has a lot of charming romantic moments especially when using the camera obscura. But it is very much Meg Ryan who makes "Addicted to Love" so much fun and whilst she is playing a woman looking for revenge you just can't help but fall in love with her.