Jack & Sarah

Jack has a habit of coming out on top, whether marrying Sarah or buying an impressive new house. Then Sarah goes into labour, he falls down the stairs, and wakes up a father to a baby daughter but without a wife. Raising the child alone while his legal career continues to demand his attention, Jack struggles to manage, and those around him push him to find help. He hires Amy, a young American waitress with no experience of looking after babies, against the reservations of others, and her arrival changes the household in ways nobody expected.

Tim Sullivan directed and wrote this British and French co-production, released in 1995. Richard E. Grant leads as Jack, with Samantha Mathis as Amy and Judi Dench as Margaret. The supporting cast includes Eileen Atkins, Cherie Lunghi and Imogen Stubbs, among 21 credited performers. Pippa Cross, Simon Channing Williams and Janette Day produced for Canal+, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, British Screen Productions and Granada Productions.

On IMDb the film holds 6.7 out of 10 from around 5,800 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.8 from a much smaller number of votes. That contrast suggests a settled audience for this comedy-drama about grief and an unlikely arrangement, one that has drawn modest but steady approval since its release.