HEROES AND VILLAINS/BUT WHICH IS WHICH?

This is the year for risky comedy, with a one night stand pregnancy getting big laughs. Here the seriously funny business is infidelity. Ha, ha.

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You have to laugh. There is this thing in the world called love which is both the best and the worst thing imaginable.

It is a truism that anyone loving anyone entails some fretting about their affection for you and, at worst, are they faithful?

Everyone is liable to moments when doubts creep in and a little insider knowledge might seem helpful.

That’s the desire that down-on-his-luck London lad David Raymond figures to exploit to make his fortune.

Actually, he is not so much as down-on-his-luck as merely a dissatisfied estate agent but, to his ambitious heart, that seems equally distasteful.

And his flatmate James Corden (History Boys, Starter For Ten) has just caught his girlfriend attempting infidelity, cueing his own lust for intimate insights.

So he launches his service, not caring about causing havoc in relationships because he has deluded himself into believing that he is actually serving a moral purpose by exposing the deceitful – that he is virtuously separating the heroes from the villains - and the fees pour in.

He even finds a potential girlfriend, Jenny Agutter, and lives happily ever after.

Whoa. Rewind. It wouldn’t be film, let alone a comedy, if success was that simple.

Jack’s friends become increasingly concerned by the moral downsides of their thriving company and his would be girlfriend naturally has a few qualms about shacking up with a chap whose forte is surveillance of lovers.

In other words, surprise, surprise, Jack begins to learn that it is not so easy to sort out the HEROES AND VILLAINS after all.

This is a daring comedy, riskily mixing serious business with laughs, along the lines of Knocked Up, directed by first timer Selwyn Roberts and featuring new face (and writer) David Raymond along a string of talented newcomers for backup.

Might it be a great gift for someone for Valentine’s? Well, yes, but perhaps only if you really, really trust them.

The DVD goes on sale on Monday, February 11 for £9.99.

Filed January 17th, 2008.