After being informed that she has just weeks to live, New Orleans sales assistant Queen Latifah jets off to snowy Europe to meet her hero, chef Gérard Depardieu, and make the luxurious most of her supposed time left in the glamorous Grand Hotel Pupp. Without Latifah's hugely likeable performance, director Wayne Wang's cute and glossy Hollywood version of the JB Priestley/Alec Guinness 1950 satire would be a drab wish-fulfilment fantasy. Instead, the gentle comedy shines through the frothy predictability with an unforced lightness of touch thanks to the fairy-tale Karlovy Vary ski-resort setting and the beyond-the-call-of-duty support cast (which includes LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Alicia Witt and Giancarlo Esposito). Essentially, it's a harmless bit of feel-good fluff with Latifah's personality making even the broadest slapstick scenes work.

The discovery that she has a terminal illness prompts introverted department store saleswoman Georgia Byrd to reflect on what she realizes has been an overly cautious life. With weeks to live, she withdraws her life savings, sells all her possessions and jets off to Europe where she lives it up at a posh hotel. Upbeat and passionate, Georgia charms everybody she meets, including renowned Chef Didier. The only one missing from her new life is her longtime crush Sean Matthews.