American Roland Michell (Aaron Eckhart) discovers clues to a secret love affair between Victorian era poets Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam) and Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle). His boss Blackadder is an Ash expert and dismissive of his discovery. He is often dismissed for being an American in British academia. He asks for help from LaMotte expert Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow) who ridicules him for not knowing that LaMotte was a lesbian. LaMotte was in a relationship with Blanche Glover (Lena Headey) while Ash was married. As Roland and Maud make further discoveries, they fall for each other.
It's very weird that every character comments on Aaron Eckhart being an American and there's Gwyneth Paltrow playing a Brit. I don't know why Lena Headey isn't the lead other than Paltrow is a bigger name. This is a slightly off-centered romance following two relationships in different times. The academia is a good backdrop but there aren't enough hurdles to make the modern romance that interesting. The actors are perfectly fine but Roland and Maud don't have enough heat together.
It's very weird that every character comments on Aaron Eckhart being an American and there's Gwyneth Paltrow playing a Brit. I don't know why Lena Headey isn't the lead other than Paltrow is a bigger name. This is a slightly off-centered romance following two relationships in different times. The academia is a good backdrop but there aren't enough hurdles to make the modern romance that interesting. The actors are perfectly fine but Roland and Maud don't have enough heat together.