It is such a shame that Fox decided to try counter-programming against “The Matrix: Reloaded” with the excellent “Down With Love.” It failed to get the audience it deserved because of it. In fact, I saw it playing in the next theater when I saw “Reloaded” and now wish I had seen it instead.

“Down With Love” starts out with new author Barbara Novak (Renee Zellweger, “Chicago”) preparing her new book “Down With Love” for publishing. In the book, she’s made three easy steps to help women conquer their need for love, get themselves into the workplace and find the ability to have casual, guilt-free sex. Basically, the goal is for women to become just like and equal to men.

She is set up with the star journalist at KNOW Magazine, Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor, “Moulin Rouge”) for an interview about her new book. However, player he is, Catcher has no interest in the interview until after her book sells millions, and then she has no interest in him. Catcher can’t handle this and sets out to trick Ms. Novak and expose that she, like every other woman, just wants to fall in love as well.

“Down With Love” is a tribute to the romantic comedies of the ’50s and ’60s. It is not pure nostalgia, however. Some of its comedy borders on parody, but still manages to keep itself within the reality of the film. Directed by Peyton Reed, this movie gives us what a romantic comedy of the ’60s might have been like directed by Blake Edwards (“Pink Panther,” “The Great Race”).

Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger work well off each other. McGregor comes across as a combination of the fast-talking Cary Grant and the ladies’ man of Sean Connery’s James Bond. In fact, tone down this performance a bit, and McGregor might be perfect for the next James Bond. Zellweger has no problem portraying the innocent girl from Maine who is just sick of men. Don’t let her fool you, though — she has a scheme up her sleeve.

To help out the main protagonists, “Down With Love” has nothing short of a great supporting cast. Sarah Paulson (“What Women Want”) plays Barbara’s editor Vikki Hiller, who is comical in her contradiction of Barbara’s philosophy. She is all gung-ho about it, but clearly wants to just get married and fall in love.

The real show stealer, though, is David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”) as Catcher’s boss Peter MacMannus. Pierce and McGregor have excellent comic banter with each other. Peter, being quite the opposite of Catcher as far as preference for ladies is concerned, spends most of the movie trying to follow Catcher’s lead, but comes up failing in awkward ways that we expect out of Hyde Pierce.

Some people might find this movie too over-the-top, especially the final act. But, in the context of the movie, it works. It replicates, to an extreme, the way the romantic comedy of the ’60s usually ends — where two leads finally get together. I found it to be quite refreshing. It knows exactly what kind of movie it wants to be and embraces it, but not to the point that it becomes overly self-conscious.

“Down With Love” also captures the spirit of ’60s cinematography with its bright, vivid colors, reminiscent of early days of cinema before color in movies went for the more mundane “real” look. The soundtrack is pure ’60s, though overemphasized to remind you that this is not a ’60s movie.

For fun, they even throw in the ’60s style Fox logo followed by a message saying this movie is presented in Cinescope. Authenticity of nostalgia was well researched for this film.

I highly recommend “Down With Love” for your next night in with some special. It will be available on DVD and VHS Oct. 7.

Grade: A