Jane Goodale (Judd) is the producer of a popular New York daytime talk show and, after a series of ill-fated relationships, she finds romance with her executive producer, Ray (Kinnear).

When Ray unceremoniously dumps her, six weeks into their blissful courtship, Jane begins an extensive study of male behaviour to try to find out what makes the minds of the confusing species work.

She comes up with a theory of interpreting male-female relations by observing the behaviour of wild animals.

She shares her ideas with a journalist friend (Tomei) and is given an anonymous editorial column, using a pseudonym and the fake persona of a 63-year-old behavioural scientist, devoted solely to her thoughts on the matter.

Her theory - The New Cow Theory - leads to overnight success and Jane finds she has become a guru for single women all over the country.

Jane begins to require more and more fodder for her experiment. She turns to her womanising flatmate, Eddie (Jackman), and some unexpected occurrences begin to develop.

Eventually the film transcends the gimmick of its scientific theories equating men to cows and becomes a warm, funny romantic comedy.

Judd plays Jane with intelligence and focus and the likeable leading lady brings a heightened sense of realism to the film.

Not particularly cutesy or trite, Animal Atraction, also known as Someone Like You in the States, is a fun, light summer flick.

Ultimately a standard romantic comedy, Animal Attraction betrays its inadequacies with the implausible and overblown conclusion.

Adapted by Elizabeth Chandler from Laura Zigman's novel Animal Husbandry, this movie is no scientific breakthrough - is it really possible that monogamy just isn't in the male genes?

But as a contemporary woman's comedy, it's smart and sassy without being aggressive or flashy and is certainly enjoyable and fun.