He's THE Baker

This past weekend I went to see a $4 dollar movie (which is all I can afford. Remember the ramen. Remember day after day after day of eating ramen noodles. Oh god) from the UK and luckily for me it was absolutely adorable. No, seriously, if this movie was a fluffy bunny it would be one of those freakish fifteen pound Flemish rabbits that I would snuggle every day even though I would fear it would pull a Monty Python on me and bite my legs off. That, uh, that analogy may have gotten away from me at the end.

The movie is The Baker starring Damian Lewis, who is brilliant and and amazing, as usual.

Lewis plays Milo, a hitman who wants more out of his life. I have to say, after watching Life, it was sort of disconcerting to listen to Lewis speaking with his native British accent. Mmm redheaded British Damian Lewis. Oh, also, if you're not watching Life, which is also brilliant and funny, and it ends up getting canceled than I am will personally blame every single one of you. Yes, even you.

I just sort of want to lick him. Don't you judge me.

Back to The Baker. After it's discovered that Milo no longer kills his targets, he goes to ground in the Welsh village of Gwyndd, and becomes the town's new baker, hence the title. The townspeople, all Appropriately Quirky, figure out he's a hitman and keep attempting to hire him to kill each other to settle old grudges. They do this by ordering cakes, while Milo thinks they just want cakes.

There's a romantic subplot with town vet Rhiannon, played by the fabulous Kate Ashley. There's also Eggs, a young kid who thinks he's training to be an assistant with Milo. Eggs is like an excitable puppy that piddles on the rug and chases its own tail.

Then there's Bjorn, who is another hitman who's tracking Milo to take him out. Bjorn is played by Nikola Coster-Waldau, and he manages to take a character that could be an offensive caricature and make Bjorn another one of the oddball characters who populate the movie (although I do have some quibbles with the character). Also, Coster-Waldau totally saved one line and made everyone in the theater laugh with it. Also, it doesn't hurt that he's pretty.

I sort of want to lick him too. Still don't judge me.

So of course it's revealed that Milo is a hitman, and Rhiannon freaks out and they fight, which takes place after they have a messy and funny sex scene in a kitchen where they are covered in all manners of food. Mmm food covered Damian Lewis.

Bjorn kidnaps Rhiannon, Milo goes to save her, there's a sword fight and fist fight, the town rallies around their baker, and they all live happily ever after.

It's not a long movie, barely clocking in at an hour and half, but it is funny and well acted. Actually, being any longer would have been a detriment because there is no way to extend this silly plot for two hours.

It's not a perfect movie. There were some things I had a problem with, like there was only one other female character besides Rhiannon, and she was portrayed as an emasculating shrew, who wasn't mourned when she died. In fact, her death was portrayed as a good thing, but overall it was a fun, light hearted comedy.

The romance was sweet and not cloying or irritating, and Lewis once again proves he has acting chops as he goes from being funny and idiotic to serious, and, did I mention at one point he's in a sleeveless shirt and covered in flour? Because he is.

Oh, and don't forget the exploding sheep.