Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) and Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) have their moment of serendipity in the scrum of Christmas shopping in Bloomingdales.

Despite both being attached, they find plenty of common ground when they grab a cup of coffee in a cafe called - wait for it - Serendipity.

When an idyllic night reaches its inevitable end, they are both forced to decide what happens next.

The smitten Jonathan suggests a simple swapping of phone numbers, but the more cautious Sara feels fate will bring them together - if that's what's meant to happen.

Years later their respective situations have changed dramatically...but neither can shake the image of the other from their minds.

Jonathan is about to marry Hally (Bridget Moynahan) while Sara has accepted a wedding proposal from Lars (John Corbett), a top-selling musician.

A lucky break sees Jonathan finding Sara's bank account number...but before he gets any further he has to persuade jobsworth sales assistant Eugene Levy to help him out.

Meanwhile, Lars's obsession with his career is leaving Sara out in the cold so she makes one last trip to New York to find Jonathan.

This is a straight-down-the-line comedy. Beckinsale shows she can do light romance after the big bangs of Pearl Harbor but it is Levy who steals every scene as the irascible shopworker.

It's light, it's frothy and it leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth...pretty much like you imagine the coffee tastes in the Serendipity cafe.

Tim Evans