Fools are indeed those who rush in to their local multiplex for this dose of sickly romance. As are fans of Matthew Perry, eager to see how their favourite Friends star fares on the big screen, in his first leading role. Considering his material, he doesn't do too badly, but it's a crying shame he is called upon to carry something that presents no more than the chance to play Chandler's not-so-funny older brother.
Perry is Alex, an ambitious exec in the construction business who has a one night stand with Isabel (a sexy but self-conscious Hayek), a Mexican beauty. She slips away in the early hours, and he hears nothing from her until she turns up three months later, pregnant. So they get married, and then begin to get to know each other. The cross-cultural premise promises a piquancy it never delivers. The conflicts and compromises that would accompany such a partnership somehow never convince.
Quite apart from the stereotypical characterisation, the appallingly clichéd images and clumsy dialogue, there's a problem with the leads. There's no chemistry, no spark, nothing to suggest any attraction between them. It's hard to imagine they'd exchange a few words on a bus, let alone share a night of passion.
But Fools does have its moments. Well, just one really, where Perry uses tequila to dull the pain of a cactus-buttock interface. And Tenney as his philandering chum and Siobhan Fallon as Isabel's cynical girlfriend are good value.