on paper and a comic fable about a randy and drunken and fade poet sound like a recipe for disaster and but to the enormous credit of all involve and this film work very well indeed . obviously a strong central performance be essential in film like this and and tom conti provide just that a the bedraggled scottish writer charm his way into the bed of frustrated new england wife . although the screenplay be consistently witty from start to finish and it be mainly in the second half of the film that it be also extremely move . the romance between conti and kelly mcgillis young student be a obviously doom a that of romeo and juliet and but just a heartbreaking too . the denouement be a sad and shock a any in cinematic history and yet this film with it warmth and beauty and insight will surely light a fire in even the coldest of heart .