"You know what I miss. The tingles." -- Monk, one of Al's roommates.

The tingles are how Al Connelly and his two college roommates refer to love. Freddie Prinze Jr plays Al, one half of the centerpiece romance in this film that describes itself as being about giving first love a second chance. Julia Stiles, who was great in one of last year's hit movies in this genre, 10 Things I Hate About You is Imogen, the freshman that Al meets and falls in love with when he's a sophomore in college.

Their romance is described to us in extended flashback sequences, narrated by the two apparently former lovers, as they tell us the tale of how they met, fell in love and ultimately broke up.

Al is a well-adjusted, great guy sort, with dream parents. His father is "Chef Roy", host of a cooking show (Henry Winkler in a nice turn) and his mother is a d.j. (Lucie Arnaz, who has been absent from the big screen far too long). He is immediately smitten at first sight of Imogen and their pairing is quite smooth.

Critics seem to have universally panned this movie and again I have to shake my head and wonder what the hell they are thinking when they sit down to write their reviews. Are they so involved in the search for something 'different' or that breaks 'new ground' that they forget that you can score by plowing old ground that is still fertile.

That the bulk of the twists and turns in the romance between Al and Imogen are predictable doesn't detract from the movie. When people plunk down their money to see a romantic comedy they want two things. To laugh, and to see romance. Down to You delivers both, while managing to convey a message that maybe you should give that first love a second chance, if the opportunity arises.

Prinze and Stiles have nice chemistry on the screen and the supporting characters are interesting enough to provide adequate backdrop and backstory to fill out the rest of the movie. Stiles, who is all of 18 years old plays an older woman quite convincingly and appears ready to move on to bigger, meatier parts.