A
film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net
For
years now, there have been discussions about a sequel to the surprise 1990
romantic comedy blockbuster, Pretty Woman.
Aside from once again propelling Roy Orbison's title tune up the pop charts,
that film had the distinction of establishing Julia Roberts as an A-list star. When Pretty Woman was released, she was hardly an unknown, having
already appeared in the likes of Mystic
Pizza and Steel Magnolias, but
her on-screen interpretation of a modern-day Cinderella rocketed her into a
higher orbit. Pretty Woman turned
into a box office favorite (making nearly half a billion dollars worldwide) and
has since become a video staple.
Ultimately,
the involved parties could not agree on a storyline for the long-anticipated
sequel, so they went in another direction, re-uniting director Garry Marshall with his two leads for Runaway Bride, an uninspired romantic
comedy about a commitment-fearful woman (Roberts) who spars with and then falls
for, a cynical writer (Richard Gere).
The best thing the movie has going for it is a built-in audience; there's not
much in the screenplay, which follows the expected formulas, to get excited
about. Little that transpires during the course of Runaway Bride is credible and, although some suspension of
disbelief is necessary for nearly every love story, this film stretches things
too far. Only die-hard romantics will find any charm beneath Marshall's often
inept manipulation.
The
saving grace of Runaway Bride is
Julia Roberts, whose sparkling smile and shining personality rescue individual
scenes - although she can't save the project as a whole. Roberts gives a
genuine, heartfelt performance while everyone else drifts through on autopilot.
Richard Gere is as flat as usual (although, to be fair, he is more animated
than in Pretty Woman, where he could
have been mistaken for a mobile telephone pole). His low-key approach doesn't
serve his character well, and the lack of energy is especially noticeable in
his scenes with Roberts. She carries them, and the chemistry that was evident
in Pretty Woman is seen here only in
short, erratic spurts - not enough to build a romance on. It's also worth
noting that, with his white hair and haggard visage, Gere looks more like
Roberts' father than a potential husband. These two are less believable as a
screen couple than Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery are in Entrapment (1999), primarily due to
Connery's abundance of charisma - something that Gere lacks.
The
story opens in New York City, where hotshot USA
Today columnist Ike Graham (Gere) is seeking an inspiration for his latest bitter diatribe about women. He finds it
in a familiar watering hole, where a disillusioned man tells him about Maggie
Carpenter (Roberts), a young woman in rural Hale, Maryland who has left three
men at the altar and is now preparing to try for a fourth time. Relying
exclusively on the man's tale, Ike submits a one-sided piece riddled with inaccuracies.
Several days later, when an irate letter arrives from Maggie, Ike is fired.
However, Fisher (Hector Elizondo)
the newspaper’s publisher, promises him a cover story if he can get the real
scoop on Maggie and perhaps catch her in the act of jilting a fourth
husband-to-be. So Ike heads south, ingratiates himself with the locals, and
begins to follow Maggie around town. At first, she is irritated by his unwanted
attention, but, as the two get to know each other better, a strange thing
happens. Ike becomes Maggie's staunchest defender and she begins to wonder if
her perfect man is really the one she intends to stand next to during the
ceremony.
In
general, I'm a sucker for love stories, but I never accepted the relationship
between Maggie and Ike. These two should despise each other. The wounds they
have dealt out should result in a War of
the Roses, not a Pretty Woman 2.
If a man wrote a slanderous article about me, my family and friends would not
greet him with open arms. And if a woman got me fired and ruined my reputation,
I wouldn't follow her around, trying to find out what makes her tick. Some
contrivances are expected in a motion picture like this, but Runaway Bride mounts one upon another
until, like a poorly balanced house of cards, they all come tumbling down.
There
isn't a real character in this film, and that's one of its most serious flaws.
The leads act as they do because they're responding to the demands of the plot.
Their every action is determined not by the requirements of human nature, but
by the need for a certain number of complications before the happy ending. The
supporting players have even less integrity or reason for being. Maggie's best
friend Peggy (Joan Cusack) is on
hand for comic relief and her father Bob (Paul
Dooley) serves no purpose beyond being the primary romantic stumbling block
that keeps Maggie and Ike apart until the movie's final quarter. Frankly, the
only one I cared about was Maggie, and that was more because of Roberts'
performance than anything found in the script.
There
are other things that annoyed me about this film. The dialogue in particular is
a sore spot. The conversations in Runaway
Bride are tedious; the characters speak in clichés and rarely have much to
say that's of interest to each other or the audience. Then there's the
ending... While I won't reveal the specifics here, suffice it to say that I
despised the plot contortions of the final fifteen minutes. This kind of stuff
isn't new to the genre, but it's especially irritating in the way it's
presented here.
As
a satire or a black comedy, Runaway Bride
could have had promise. As a feel-good effort, it's a bust. Director Garry
Marshall does not have the track record to inspire confidence. One glance at
his recent resume, which includes the likes of The Other Sister, Dear God,
and Exit to Eden, reveals a filmmaker
who should not be allowed behind the camera. With Runaway Bride, he delivers what we have a right to expect - a
clumsy motion picture that strives so hard for the perfect romantic ending that
it triggers a gag reflex along the way. [Berardinelli’s rating: ** out of 4
stars = 50%]
Blogger’s
comment: I agree with Mr. Berardinelli. There are so many things wrong with
this film, it’s hard to know where to start. Ike Graham would never have
written a piece using only one source. He would at least have contacted the
Hale, MD newspaper for corroboration. And being such a misogynist, there is no
way he would have become romantically involved with Maggie Carpenter. By all
rights they should have been at each other’s throats.
Labels:
comedy, romance, wedding
