'So Far' so good for Colin Firth

You either love him or you hate him.

Three years ago Colin FIrth was anointed heartthrob-in-chief after a terrific performance in the A&E miniseries "Pride and Prejudice." Then, in this year's "Shakespeare in Love," the 38-year-old Brith turned hateful as the man who 
comes between Gwyneth Paltrow and her true love, Will Shakespeare.

Now, in the coming-of-age story "My Life So Far," which opens Friday, Firth is loveable and hateful at the same time.

This pleases him.

"A character who's straight down the line, with no twists or quirks, is boring," he says. "You've got to have something to play. I like to watch stories where you're sure of what you're seeing--and then you're not."

At first, Firth's character--a charmingly eccentric inventor--seems to be the ideal dad. But charm can be a great deceiver, as his 10-year-old son discovers. When the boy's uncle (Malcolm McDowell) brings his young fiancee 
(Irene Jacob) to visit, unexpected passions surface.

"Charming boyishness is dangerous to those close to it," Firth says. "If you're fundamentally immature, you'll be incapable of self-denial in real relationships, and you'll end up hurting the people around you."

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