Kenny Doughty as Jed Willis is sexier in this role than any male porn star, even though he keeps his pants on.

The movie tore at my heart reminding me of the intensity of the big explosive love of my life. I don't think I can think of another movie, except perhaps Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet that captures that giddy joy that well.

The other draw of the movie is the very English eccentric characters enjoying the scandal vicariously. In that sense it is much the same appeal as Midsomer Murder or a Miss Marple mystery, without the mayhem.

This is a great antidote to the mock horror currently popular in the USA an any relationships between people of different ages.

Katie (Andie MacDowell) is the head mistress of a school, Molly (Anna Chancellor) is the doctor and Janine (Imelda Stauton) the chief of police in a small England town. They are above forty, best girl friends and are together most of their vacant time. They like to dispute the most unsuccessful and unhappy affair with the local men in the week. One day, Katie meets Jed (Kenny Doughty),her former student and at least sixteen years younger than she and they fall in love for each other. She hides this love from the locals and her two friends do not accept such a situation. In order to avoid a spoiler, I cannot comment further than that. This movie has one of the most irregular and confused screenplay and direction I have ever seen. It starts as a romantic comedy, then goes to a free dramatic tragedy, goes to a comedy and ends mushy. The unnecessary tragedy in the middle of the plot does not fit to the movie. Further, the circus in the marriage of Gerald and Kate is ridiculous. If the viewer expects to watch a comedy or romantic comedy, will be very disappointed, and if he expects to see a drama, will be also disappointed. My vote is six.

For the first forty-five minutes one gets the feeling CRUSH is a comedy with some digs at sex and the single woman. Then, when the heroine (ANDIE MacDOWELL) falls abruptly in love with the organist at a funeral (and has mad sex on a gravestone),the film starts to veer into more serious territory as her two best friends try to dissuade her from thinking of him as anything more than a fling.

She tries, even going so far as to make a trip to Paris, France to enjoy her "freedom" and ends up almost making it with a Frenchman until she decides at a crucial moment to pack her bags and return to the waiting arms of her boy toy organist (KENNY DOUGHTY). It's Doughty who gives the most natural performance as the sad-eyed, sensitive and unpolished guy with the raging hormones. He reminds me of a handsomer but blander version of Johnny Depp.

When another more direct plan to convince their friend that she's making a mistake backfires, the plot veers off into tragedy before gradually resuming a lighter tone as the friends stop bickering and decide to resolve their problems by enjoying a gin and tonic and "fags" (cigarettes in U.S.A.). We're left with the notion that the best way for all three to solve their problematic out of control lives is to simply sit back, and, in the words of Fagin, "shut up and drink yer gin".

At the end, there's a cheated feeling that the story can be summed up as much ado about nothing. Perhaps a more delicate handling of the theme of unconventional behavior (especially from the so reserved British),would have been a better way to go.

The performances are all better than average, which makes it a shame that the film didn't have more of a statement to make.

The bawdy behavior is treated in a casual fashion (the Brits are way ahead of us in matters of sex) and it's all very uneven, never sure of itself and veering off into unpredictable areas instead of telling a story in a concise and believable way. Not recommended.