JACK & SARAH

Richard E. Grant is one of British cinema's best-kept secrets, a worried-looking actor with laser eyes, a ready grin just shy of maniacal meltdown, and a mastery of such cult favorites as “Withnail & I” and “How to Get Ahead in Advertising.” And just as the Festival's Opening Night Premiere from 1994, “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” proved the breakout smash for not-to-be-confused namesake Hugh Grant, JACK & SARAH could be the vehicle that brings Richard E. Grant the recognition he deserves from American audiences. He's Jack, a high-strung London lawyer and the father of an infant daughter. Finding single parenthood no easy task, Jack turns to the various women in his life for help, but when boss, mother, and mother-in-law seem to have their own agendas, a desperate Jack impulsively hires Amy (Samantha Mathis), a struggling young American, as Sarah's full-time nanny. Amy may not have much experience in child-rearing, but she learns quickly, and eventually becomes more than a mere live-in babysitter. A rich blend of poignance and romantic comedy, with superb supporting turns from Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench, JACK & SARAH was a sleeper hit in Britain last year, and visits these shores for the first time to kick off the 20th CIFF. – Charles Cassady