Their stagnant life is disrupted by an early morning phone call from Chris's childhood friend Toni (Lee Ross), who has returned to England after several years of travelling through Africa, Europe, and the United States as a bohemian poet.

Disillusioned with the life he's chosen—having abandoned his youthful passion for photography for a steady job as a London banker—Chris takes long walks at night, making lists in his head of things for which he should feel grateful.

Feeling that something is missing in his life, Chris sees in Toni the person he could have become—a free spirit living a vagabond's existence without worries or responsibilities.

After learning that Toni in fact asked her to sleep with his friend as a way of ruining his marriage, Chris rejects the offer and returns home to Marion.

[1] The executive producer Andrew Bendel and director Philip Saville needed three songs from the punk era to be included in the live band scenes played by a fictitious group called The Subverts.

These three particular songs featured in the film (although not included on the Polygram soundtrack) "Amerikkka We Hate You", "Destroy the Hoi Polloi" and "You Destiny" were also produced by Danny de Matos.

[citation needed] In his review for Variety magazine, David Rooney called the film "sexy and entertaining" with a "witty script and strong performances".

[2] Rooney concluded: The flashback scheme taking in the Paris period and Chris and Toni's early-'60s schooldays is very structured and straightforward, and the observations about fidelity, commitment and compromise are far from new.

But screenwriter Adrian Hodges' clever dialogue and director Saville's unpretentious approach make this a more satisfying experience than its narrow scope would indicate.

[2]In his review for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman gave the film an A− score, calling it "a no-fuss movie that casts a rich, tranquil spell.

"[3] Gleiberman concluded, "It's the rare portrait of a happy marriage that is honest about the complex currents of desire, and the drama is beautifully played by Bale, who gawks with soulful sweetness, and Watson, who does her most piercing work since Breaking the Waves.

"[3] In his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, noting director Philip Saville ability to tell this "straightforward story of life choices" while avoiding a dependence on sentiment.