WHY NOT?

Giddy girlfriends, in a US debut by Scottish author Low.

Mind you, Jess Latham is much more serious than her mates, though she looks something like believable-bombshell Jennifer Aniston. Glaswegian Jess, a House of Commons researcher, is a career-minded assistant to a distinguished politician and carries a real briefcase. If the Right Honorable Basil Asquith, MP, says he’s unhappily married to a 50-ish bitch of impeccable breeding, naive Jess believes him. If he asks Jess to cuff him and tickle him with a feather duster, well—why not? Surely he’ll divorce his wife someday and then marry her. But Jess is heartbroken (somewhat) when she walks in on Basil and blond, firm-breasted Mrs. Asquith playing wicked little games of their own. At least Basil wasn’t lying about the impeccable breeding: Jess accepts her rival’s offer of tea and cookies afterward and marvels at Mrs. Asquith’s icy aplomb. Gosh, it’s something new to shriek about over endless drinks on girls’ night out. Shagging emotionally unavailable men is de rigueur among her fabulous friends. But things are changing: sexy, impulsive Carly, the proud possessor of 47 credit cards, has decided to marry somebody—anybody—and is globetrotting to look up her old boyfriends. Kate, wife of a noted architect and mother of three, is restlessly eying a studly building contractor, though Carol, a “hilariously shallow” supermodel and mother of twins, married to another model who looks like Brad Pitt, seems content enough. As is Sarah, an elementary schoolteacher rescued from impoverished singlehood by lovely Nick. Back to Jess: Is her rebound romance with sexy tabloid reporter Mike Chapman the real thing? Or does Mike just want to get a lurid scoop on Basil? Will Carly’s old boyfriend, now gay, catch both men in flagrante delicto at a drag ball? Gosh, Jess is pregnant! Looks like she’s going to give birth on the back of a cute pink moped!

Strained, generally unfunny farce with more than a whiff of Benny Hill–style sniggering and contrivance.