A rich estranged Manhattanite couple witnesses a murder, enters Witness Protection, and must live in a small town together. Paul is a wildly successful and rather snooty lawyer living in Manhattan. He dines one evening with his estranged wife, the equally successful and snooty real estate agent Meryl, who has left him and hates his guts because he cheated on her. Paul is trying to win her back, but Meryl loathes him too much for them to ever possibly reconcile. When they see one of Meryl's clients on their post-dinner walk, they are horrified when they find themselves watching a murder. The police put them into Witness Protection, as the murderer, Vincent, is still at large and knows who they are. They are sent to Ray, Wyoming, a very small rural town in the middle of nowhere, where they are cared for by Clay and Emma, a couple who also serve as sheriff and deputy. Paul and Meryl struggle immensely, as they are cut off from all technology and must perform farmhand duties on the regular, such as chopping wood and milking cows. Since everyone in town has a gun, they try to learn to shoot, to absolutely no avail. At one point, they are even attacked by a bear, which is about as far from the Manhattanite lifestyle as one can imagine. Eventually, they find a rhythm, and they find the people of the town to be charming in their eccentric way. However, when their fighting leads them to get separated from Clay and Emma, and Vincent appears in town ready to attack at any moment of vulnerability, Paul and Meryl must find their way back into safety without getting murdered.
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Best part of story, including ending:
This is a hacky but charming romantic comedy, primarily carried by the charm of Hugh Grant, who can make pretty much any film in this genre work.
Best scene in story:
When Hugh Grant is attacked by a bear, he has no idea how to get out of it, so he, in a funny turn of events, tries to insist to the bear that they are members of PETA.
Opinion about the main character:
Paul was a jerk but he is trying to make things right. It's hard to see justification for her forgiving him in the script, but Hugh Grant is so charming that it's hard to dislike him.
