Romance among the AARP set in a movie is never an easy proposition, pardon the pun. The participants have to be sexy enough that the younger people in the audience don't get all grossed out ("Gramma and Granpa are KISSING!!! With tongue!!!!"),but not too sexy. The audience wants to be swept off its feet, but it doesn't want anything that's overly salacious.

For the most part, writer-director Nancy Meyers succeeds here. Diane Keaton plays Erica Barry, a neurotic, highly successful playwright. Jack Nicholson plays himself. Okay, technically he plays 63-year-old Harry Sanborn, owner of a hip-hop record label and chronic womanizer.

One of the funniest scenes in the movie comes right near the beginning. Harry's with his new squeeze Marin (Amanda Peet),at Marin's mom's house. There's Harry, in his boxers and a t-shirt, putting wine in the 'fridge, when Marin's mom - you guessed it, Erica - unexpectedly comes home. Naturally, she thinks he's an intruder and calls 911. I mean, wouldn't you? It takes some explaining, but soon the misunderstanding is cleared up and our combatants (oops, participants) can get on with the romancin'.

The thrust of the story (oops, another pun) is that while fooling around with Marin upstairs, Harry suffers a heart attack. At the hospital, Dr. Mercer (an interestingly cast Keanu Reeves) admonishes the unrepentant Harry for overexerting himself and tells him not to travel for a little while. Yup, you guessed it, that means he has to bunk with Erica. And our romance is thus set up.

The good news is that pairing Keaton and Nicholson (who appeared together in 1982's Reds) was a great, great idea. Keaton basically plays a grown-up Annie Hall, and she manages to look sexy and daffy at the same time. Nicholson, for all his bluster and creakiness, still has the panache that has served him so well for the past forty years or so.

The trouble is that after their relationship is consummated, the two leads behave like seventh graders. Now, no offense to you seventh graders out there, but you do have a tendency to get melodramatic. Admit it. In this movie, Erica spends - no exaggeration here - a good ten minutes sobbing. And sobbing. And sobbing. Everywhere and anywhere. Yikes and double yikes. For his part, Harry broods like no one's ever brooded before, like he's up for an Olympic medal in the event of Feeling Bummed Out. After a while, you wish these two crazy kids would just get over it. Call her! Call him! Do something!

To make matters worse for the relationship, Erica writes a play based on her experiences with Harry, complete with him dancing drunkenly in a hospital gown. Does this lady play hardball, or what?

Granted, the storyline is predictable, but the two leads are wonderful, and very well cast. Meyers wrote the script with Keaton and Nicholson in mind specifically, the decision was a wise one.

Something's Gotta Give has a funny beginning and a sweet ending, but the middle suffers from an unfortunate lag.

This movie was very entertaining and enjoyable. Yes I do admit it does have its problems- it is overlong, the ending was rather abrupt and the film does have some very predictable moments. But what does compensate are the performances of the two leads Jack Nicolson and Diane Keaten, and there are some very funny moments, such as Harry being rushed to hospital about three times, although two of those times was a sign that he had fallen in love, and when Harry catches Erica walking around the house naked. Though my favourite is when Harry is standing at the foot of a flight of stairs and wondering should I go up them? Of course Nicolson has been better, but Keaten was at her loveliest she really shone here, and there is great support from Amanda Peet and Frances McDormand, and Keanu Reeves is actually tolerable here in a less flashy role. There is a well crafted script and some nice photography and music. Overall, has its flaws, but manages to be an engaging romantic comedy. 7/10 Bethany Cox

My major disappointment with Something's Gotta Give is not hearing a single note of Johnny Mercer's famous standard in a film with that title and having an extensive music score. I'm sure there's a story why that didn't happen. Other than that this is one sleek romantic comedy about some older people finding true love.

For Diane Keaton she's kind of wrapped herself in her work and her reputation as America's leading female playwright since Lillian Hellman. Her daughter Amanda Peet however is dating 60 something Jack Nicholson a record industry mogul. Nicholson is a compulsive womanizer and Peet is the latest in a long line of trophy beauties. This man has something to prove.

But at their summer beach house Nicholson suffers some cardiac arrest and he's bound there while he mends. And of course Nicholson discovers that an intelligent woman close to his own age might actually have something to offer. Because 30 something doctor Keanu Reeves who is treating Nicholson finds Keaton most intriguing. In fact I've never seen Keanu Reeves more romantic on the screen.

I'm older than all the principal characters in this film and I'm always glad to see films like Something's Gotta Give for us senior citizens showing that even if we have to take it easy we can still enjoy life and all it has to offer.

If you're in my age bracket, don't miss this one.