Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA straddles the line between pop and art, and manages to be both a bestseller and a literary masterpiece. With an excellent cast and a timeless story, Mike Newell's cinematic adaptation strives for that same balance. As a young man in 19th-century Colombia, Florentino Ariza (played primarily by Javier Bardem) falls in love with a beautiful woman named Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno). But an overprotective father (John Leguizamo) and too much reality intrude on their romance, and Fermina marries a successful doctor, Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt). But a wedding ring--and the passing decades--aren't enough to dissuade Florentino from his love, even as he beds hundreds of women as he tries to get over his undying passion.

Screenwriter Ronald Harwood (THE PIANIST) distills Garcia Marquez's novel--which spans more than 50 years and almost 400 pages--into an accessible film. The basic element of the book--Florentino's love for Fermina--remains intact, and it's driven by yet another excellent performance from Bardem. Fans who were impressed by his masterly turn as a cold-blooded killer in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN will be pleasantly surprised that the Spanish actor can be just as adept playing a character driven by love. As in his previous work such as FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, director Mike Newell has assembled another fine cast that also includes Liev Schreiber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Hector Elizondo.