Next January when people are complaining about who didn't get nominated for an Oscar, remember the names Kate Beckinsale and Tom Bennett.

Beckinsale's performance here is delightfully, well, evil. She feels like a character out of a horror movie, where every time she appears you fear for all the other characters. She's a well-mannered sociopath. Cruel, calculating and charming.

While I could have done with one or two more scenes with Stephen Fry, I could have done with ten more with Tom Bennett and his Sir Jame Martin. His performance is a lesson in how to steal a scene. He provides the biggest laughs in the film whether it be his amazement at peas or his discussion of the commandments.

The rest of the film doesn't stand up to these two. It's too light and wispy. Without Bennett and Beckinsale it might have just floated away.