The Rom Com Catalog

Tag: Julia Roberts

  • Favorite Moments: The Way You Look Tonight

    Favorite Moments: The Way You Look Tonight

  • How Many Have You Seen? – Julia Roberts

    How Many Have You Seen? – Julia Roberts

  • ‘Ticket to Paradise’ (2022) Review

    ‘Ticket to Paradise’ (2022) Review

    Bitterly divorced couple Georgia and David are forced to team up after discovering their newly graduated daughter, Lily, plans to get married in Bali. Together, they plan to sabotage the relationship, so Lily will return to the States with them and return to her job as an attorney.

    It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Julia and George in a rom-com, and we’ve never seen them in a rom-com together, so yes, I’ve been really excited for Ticket to Paradise. As great as some rom-coms have been over the past few years, there’s definitely been something missing – mostly big-ticket rom-coms starring stars like… well, Julia Roberts and George Clooney. So rom-com fans rejoice! Because Julia and George are back, Ticket to Paradise is worthy of their talents.

    The two actors had already shown the world their electric chemistry as former spouses in Ocean’s Eleven (2001), so I did not doubt that they would play well off one another in this film, regardless of the plot. They didn’t disappoint either.

    Georgia and David are the kind of divorced spouses who should not be in the same room, let alone forced to sit beside each other on an airplane. They’re snarky and snide, and you can literally feel Lily’s exasperation roll off whenever she has to deal with them. But as the movie progresses, we learn a bit more about what led to the end of the marriage, and it’s very clear that despite their bitter history, Georgia and David still care about one another, even if those feelings have been buried very, very deeply.

    The plot is nothing new to the genre, but the script is romantic and witty enough that its lack of originality isn’t an issue. The two lead actors bring their beloved star power to the table, elevating the material. You almost forget what’s supposed to happen in the rest of the movie because watching Georgia and David snark at each other is so entertaining.

    Kaitlyn Dever and Maxime Bouttier play Lily and Gede, the soon-to-be newlyweds. Dever is perfectly cast as Georgia and David’s self-sufficient daughter. Bouttier holds his own against Clooney, especially when Gede catches on that Georgia and David are attempting to sabotage the upcoming wedding, and he’s forced to match their sneaky energy with his own. Billie Lourd brings her brand of quirk to the film as Lily’s best friend, Wren, but sadly, I felt she was sorely underused.

    Ticket to Paradise is the kind of movie that will appeal to a broader audience, as evidenced by its impressive international box office numbers and its appeal to rom-com fans. I’ll say it’s been one of my favorite movies of 2022 so far, but it comes just short of earning a five-star review from me. I wish I had precise reasons as to why, but while I enjoyed the movie, something was missing for me. I can’t quite pinpoint what – the somewhat thin plot? The lack of Billie Lourd?

    Or maybe it was that Georgia’s handsome French boyfriend never posed a real threat to George Clooney. He was just goofy enough to make you wonder why someone as intelligent and sophisticated as Georgia would date him. Honestly, I don’t know. Ticket to Paradise, in the hands of different actors, probably would have earned a three-star from me instead, so that’s the power of old-school Hollywood actors, I guess.

    Anyway, I definitely recommend Ticket to Paradise. Even if you’re not a huge fan of romantic comedies, I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.

    Watched: 11/06/2022
    Notable Song: Go Where You Wanna Go by The Mamas and the Papas

    Rating:

  • ‘Mother’s Day’ (2016) Review

    ‘Mother’s Day’ (2016) Review

    The third and last holiday film by Garry Marshall features intersecting stories with different moms leading up to Mother’s Day. Sandy’s ex has just married a much younger woman. Kristin is contemplating marrying the father of her baby but wants to meet her birth mother first. Bradley is trying to find the right balance as a widower and single father. And Jesse and Gabi have been keeping secrets from their parents. And Miranda has given up motherhood to focus on her career.

    It’s another star-studded holiday film from Marshall that’s not great but mostly okay. As with Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, Mother’s Day is thick with sugary fluff but lacks plot… and believability. But we don’t always watch these kinds of movies for believability, do we? Leave it to Garry Marshall to introduce racism and homophobia and then “cure” it within the allotted two hours.

    There’s really nothing to Mother’s Day. This epitomizes a feel-good movie because everything works out exactly as one would want. Heavier topics like the aforementioned racism and homophobia, adoption, divorce, marital lies, etc… it’s all forgiven and wrapped up with several pastel-colored bows by the time the credits roll. I’m not complaining about that fact because that’s what we expect to do, but at the same time, it just came across as so contrived and lazy.

    The cast is fantastic, with Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston as stand-outs, but it’s clear this is one of those phone-it-in movies where they’re all there for a paycheck or as a favor to Marshall.

    Honestly, I enjoyed watching this movie so much because of Sudeikis and Timothy Olyphant, whom I adore and wish would do more rom-coms. None of the stories were overly memorable, but some humorous moments helped save the film from being a complete dud.

    Mother’s Day didn’t have as many intersecting stories as some other similar films, but it still felt a bit bloated at times. It makes me sad that this was Marshall’s last film before he passed away, preceded by Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Definitely not his best work, but I have to admire the man for his love of cinema and for working right into his 80s.

    I can’t really recommend Mother’s Day as a must-see film, but if you like the goopy fluff that are these holiday rom-coms, then I say go for it. Maybe goopy fluff is what we all need right now while living in a dumpster fire that is planet Earth.

    Watched: 05/08/2022
    Notable Song: Photograph by Ed Sheeran

    Rating:
  • ‘Valentine’s Day’ (2010) Review

    ‘Valentine’s Day’ (2010) Review

    The first of Garry Marshall’s holiday-themed ensemble films, Valentine’s Day, takes place on, you guessed it, Valentine’s Day! Boasting a cast of several A-listers, including Rom-Com Queen Julia Roberts, the movie took on the popular Love Actually by placing many good-looking people in stories that would eventually be revealed to be connected in one way or another.

    I will admit that I was not too fond of New Year’s Eve. I usually adore Garry Marshall, but that film just missed the mark in every conceivable way. When I began watching Valentine’s Day, my husband reminded me that we had already seen it in the theater when it was released. Given that I barely remember what happened two days ago, I had very little memory of this movie until I started watching it again. I’m not sure what I thought of it back then, but I will admit that I found it charming this go-around.

    It’s not a perfect movie or even a great one. These large ensemble movies rarely are. Some of the stories don’t work or make much sense. Jamie Foxx and Jessica Biel had zero chemistry, and the film’s only LGBTQ representation received about a minute of screen time. But I enjoyed some of the other stories quite a bit, including Ashton Kutcher getting dumped by his girlfriend while his best friend, played by Jennifer Garner, is wooed by a married doctor.

    There was also a cute storyline with Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts, in which an army captain returns home just for one night to visit the special man in her life. That particular reunion was brief but so heartfelt that, yes, I got a bit choked up.

    Where New Year’s Eve felt overwhelming and overstuffed, Valentine’s Day balanced its cast and stories quite well. There is enough humor to keep it from feeling too gooey, but this is a rom-com based around Valentine’s Day, so I would think anyone watching this would expect sugary fluff. Garry Marshall definitely delivers on that promise and then some.

    Honestly, there’s not much to analyze here, no deeper meaning to be found. Valentine’s Day is a sweet box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses, nothing more, nothing less. Turn off your mind and enjoy its sweet coziness. There’s also the added bonus of searching for and finding the Garry Marshall easter eggs in this movie. It gives the film an extra touch of rom-com magic that I really adored. Plus, you get to watch Julia repeat one of her most iconic movie lines during the credits.

    Watched: 02/14/2021
    Notable Song: Today Was a Fairytale by Taylor Swift

    Rating:

  • ‘Mystic Pizza’ (1988) Review

    ‘Mystic Pizza’ (1988) Review

    In Mystic Pizza, Daisy (Julia Roberts) and Kat (Annabeth Gish) are sisters who work with their best friend Jojo (Lili Taylor) in a small pizza shop in the town of Mystic, Connecticut. As Kat prepares to start her freshman year at Yale, she takes on a babysitting job to help cover expenses (her fourth job, according to her mother).

    Unprepared for “’til death do you part”, Jojo has just fainted at her wedding to Bill (Vincent D’Onofrio) and has put the marriage on hold, although she is still hoping to get his pants down at every opportunity. And Daisy… well, she feels a bit lost, not entirely sure what to do with her life while her sister goes off to an Ivy League school and her best friend is (maybe) getting married.

    Let’s deal with the obvious right now: Daisy and Kat are meant to be Portuguese. The actresses are not Portuguese. It’s clearly an issue because it’s an issue in the movie, but… it was Hollywood in 1988. I’m not making excuses, but whitewashing was still (and is still) a thing.

    Mystic Pizza deals with all three women and their love lives. Kat falls for the father of the little girl she is babysitting. His wife is in England, and it becomes clear that their marriage is fairly rocky. Kat is young… nineteen, perhaps? He’s in his thirties. Kat’s infatuation with this mature older guy is understandable, but as Daisy points out, the father boffing the babysitter is a really old story that happens all the time.

    Tim’s (William R. Moses) attraction to Kat is questionable and problematic for many reasons, but I feel like he got off the hook for his behavior unless his punishment is to remain in an unhappy marriage. It was a learning experience for Kat, who seemed desperate to be more like her sexy, free-spirited sister, Daisy. Gish’s performance is the most vulnerable of the bunch, but also very understated and subtle compared to Roberts’s contagious laugh and Taylor’s sarcastic one-liners.

    Daisy falls for Charlie (Adam Storke), a preppy, rich boy with daddy issues. The two are attracted to one another, but the differences in their lifestyles may be too much for them to overcome and have a healthy relationship. Daisy also deals with her mother’s expectations and constant disappointment in her choices. Daisy constantly feels inadequate, especially compared to Kat’s responsibilities and academic successes.

    Mystic Pizza was Roberts’s first substantial role in Hollywood, and her star power is evident in this movie. She is charming and flirtatious but can also dial up the drama, especially when faced with the suspicion that Charlie is cheating on her. Charlie is also a pretty well-rounded character, and he and Daisy probably have more in common than they think they do. Storke and Roberts were sizzling on screen together, and it’s a shame Storke didn’t have more leading man roles after this movie.

    Jojo struggles with her future and is uncertain about marrying her longtime boyfriend, Bill. She wants to get married, and she wants children… she just isn’t sure she wants them now. Her attraction to Bill is strong; he seems in love with her enough to forgive her for passing out at their wedding. It’s an interesting turn of events here… having the woman wanting the sex without the real commitment and the man wishing for more. D’Onofrio and Taylor have such fantastic chemistry. They’re adorable together, and not just because of the insane height difference. And holy moly, was Vincent D’Onofrio hot in the ’80s or what? Whew!

    Mystic Pizza is most definitely a romantic dramedy, leaning a bit more towards drama than comedy, though there are plenty of moments that will make you chuckle – mostly credited to Jojo and Bill’s lust-filled relationship.

    Donald Petrie manages to direct what very easily could have been a melodramatic schmaltz-filled movie into something genuine and touching. There are some loose ends, and frankly, the plot isn’t anything eye-opening or different, but the performances of Gish, Roberts, and Taylor make this movie what it is. Together, they imbue enough chemistry and familiarity to make you believe they have truly been friends since childhood. Just try to ignore the truly horrible Photoshop at the beginning of Mystic Pizza when it gives you a montage of photos chronicling the friendship from childhood onward.

    I love the seaside town of Mystic, the performances, and the romances (excluding Kat and Tim, because ew, why). Watching this movie, it’s clear why the three main actresses went on to do bigger and better things in their careers. They all show something special in this film. Mystic Pizza is definitely a comfort film for me and one of my favorites to watch in the fall.

    Watched: 10/26/2019
    Notable Song: These Are the Times to Remember by Jill Colucci

    Rating:

  • ‘Eat Pray Love’ (2010) Review

    ‘Eat Pray Love’ (2010) Review

    Eat Pray Love Synopsis: A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to “find herself”.

    Realizing that she is not cut out for marriage, writer Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) divorces her husband and decides to go on a year-long journey of rediscovery. She will spend four months in Italy, India, and finally, Bali. What Liz is hoping for is some spiritual renewal. Balance. A hot Brazilian lover would be a bonus, I’m sure.

    I would be remiss not to say Eat Pray Love is not a romantic comedy. Any hint of romance is felt at the beginning of the film, particularly in the last forty-eight minutes, when Javier Bardem’s soulful divorcee, Felipe, is introduced. Given the 130-minute runtime, that’s not much to account for.

    Eat Pray Love is about Liz’s journey and her desperate need to find balance in her life. I’ve seen this movie described as “wish fulfillment,” and it truly is. How many of us have dreamed of taking a year off work, walking away from responsibilities, and traveling to gorgeous countries in a quest to find ourselves?

    Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way, at least not for those without a comfortable source of income. So yes, I was envious of Liz Gilbert’s life-changing journey, her open-air tropical home, the hunky Italian teaching her the language, and her never-ending plates of pizza and spaghetti. How privileged Liz Gilbert was to be able to experience all of this because, at some point, I’m sure we’ve all had an up-close and personal encounter with some form of existential crisis in our lives.

    But, movies (and books) like Eat, Pray, Love seem to suggest that the path to spiritual and emotional enlightenment (and a great plate of pasta) is only accessible to those with the financial means to fund the journey. The rest of us will have to try to find God elsewhere if we have a spare moment in our busy lives to look.

    After I finished the movie, I Google’d the real Elizabeth Gilbert only to find that her publisher gave her an advance of $200,000 to go on her journey and write her book. That tidbit of information is not included in the movie.

    That being said, the movie itself is fine, but it’s much longer than needed. After Liz dumps her husband, Stephen (a very dorky, uninteresting, but otherwise sweet Billy Crudup), Liz jumps into an affair with a young actor named David (James Franco). This whole part of the movie felt unnecessary and out of place. Supposedly, they’re so passionately in love, but I didn’t feel it.

    David folds Liz’s delicates. Okay, cute. He introduces her to Hinduism, and since it’s Franco, he makes it sound highly pretentious, though Liz is intrigued. Okay, that’s fine. But then, all of a sudden, they’re practically living together, and the cracks in their relationship begin to appear and widen. Roberts and Franco had zero chemistry. None. So, this part of the movie felt bogged down and out of place.

    I would have instead spent more time with Liz and Stephen to see why they didn’t work. At first, when we meet the two of them, Liz mentions wanting to go to Aruba, but then Stephen doesn’t want to go to Aruba, and suddenly Liz seems to think that’s a sign from God that she should leave her marriage. That’s about it. We don’t gain any real insight into their marriage, whether it’s good or bad. It had to have been more than Stephen not wanting to go to Aruba that drove Liz away, right?

    We’re left feeling that Liz divorced Stephen simply because she fell out of love, which is fine. It happens. But it also felt callous and impulsive, not a good start for the audience, who are supposed to root for Liz and want to stick around for the next two hours to see if she finds some semblance of a happy ending.

    We also know very little about Liz herself or her family. What is it that’s driving her to seek spiritual guidance? What is happening in her life, or has that made her feel disconnected? She’s numb and unfulfilled. Why? There’s not always a rational reason for depression. It’s a terrible, horrible thing. However, Eat Pray Love does not reveal much about Liz beyond a brief divorce and a relatively short but happy fling with David.

    Although I wasn’t impressed with the movie’s beginning, I enjoyed it much more once Liz arrived in Rome. The scenery is gorgeous, and the shots of food and wine are mouthwatering. It’s truly a love letter to Italy and the country’s marvelous cuisine. The supporting cast that surrounds Roberts is fantastic. They never feel dull or one-dimensional. They become Liz’s family, and you genuinely believe it. This was probably my favorite part of Liz’s journey.

    From Rome, she travels to India in search of God at an ashram. There, she scrubs floors and has trouble shutting off her mind to meditate. Instead, she seems more focused on how to decorate her meditation room back home. Thankfully, Liz seems to understand how shallow this is, but just in case, another American, Richard “from Texas” (Richard Jenkins), calls her out on it. Richard and Liz start off on the wrong foot. Still, Liz begins to respond to his brutal honesty, and soon, Richard feels comfortable telling Liz his heartbreaking reason for being in India, helping Liz to come to terms with the act of forgiving herself for breaking Stephen’s heart (I think).

    Jenkins gives a highly poignant performance here, and I can confidently say it is the best performance in Eat Pray Love. He steals every scene and is the voice of reason, never allowing Liz to sink into self-pity for too long, frustrating her as he talks in “bumper stickers.” Ultimately, it feels as though she learns more from him than from the ashram. At the very least, he helps her find her ability to meditate and the spiritual guidance needed to move on from her guilt over her life choices.

    Liz also befriends a young girl named Tulsi, who is dealing with her desire to go to school and learn psychology, but will soon be wed thanks to an arranged marriage by her parents. I suppose Tulsi’s situation is meant to help Liz’s spiritual growth and help her understand and recognize her privilege, but it felt flippant and dismissive. Liz dedicates her meditation to Tulsi in the hopes that Tulsi will be happy with her new husband. Tulsi never looks very happy about it, but it made Liz feel better, so I guess that’s important.

    In Bali, Liz spends time with a traditional medicine man named Ketut, whom she had visited the year before, when he had instructed her to return so he could teach her everything he knew (and so that she could teach him English). She also gets run off the road by Felipe, with whom she soon starts an intense love affair. This portion of the movie is about Liz finding “balance” while finally understanding that she cannot be afraid to love again.

    I really don’t have much to say about this. Throughout the movie, Liz is constantly frustrated and rolls her eyes when someone comments about the lack of a man in her life. She’s traveling alone (gasp) and divorced (gasp). She needs a husband (groan)! One might think Liz could get through this movie, find herself, and be content with who she is, without needing a man. But what else can you do when Javier Bardem declares his eternal love for you?

    This is a long review, I know. But it was a long movie. And, like the movie, this review probably could have been cut down significantly. Eat Pray Love was an alright movie. Julia Roberts shines on screen, as usual. But I didn’t understand Liz’s motivations for her trip, and she came across as a bored, selfish white woman privileged enough to have the funds to take a long vacation.

    I understand that this is probably not entirely accurate. If I had read the book, I might have gotten it, but I didn’t, so I could only go on with what the movie told me. I think the only reason I liked Liz at all was that Roberts is so damn charming. This character requires a lot of likeabilities, and Roberts has them.

    The supporting characters were the highlight (beyond the many mouthwatering shots of the cuisine), and Murphy has always had an incredible skill for inserting depth into even the most minor roles. They all felt like fully fleshed-out people to me. Gorgeous locations added to the experience.

    Beyond that, I walked away from Eat Pray Love without feeling anything. Just a rather… meh, okay, that was fine. But it’s not one I’ll likely ever watch again. It passed the time I spent on my flight, and that was all I needed.

    Watched: 10/10/2019-10/14/2019
    Notable Song: Harvest Moon by Neil Young

    Rating:
  • ‘Pretty Woman’ (1990) Review

    ‘Pretty Woman’ (1990) Review

    For my 90th rom-com review, I was trying to decide between Pretty Woman and Mystic Pizza. Both star Julia Roberts, but one launched her career (Mystic Pizza), and the other earned her a second Oscar nomination (after her supporting turn in Steel Magnolias).

    Ultimately, I decided on Pretty Woman, given its status in the genre as one of the most revolutionary, iconic rom-coms. It was released in 1990 to some pretty harsh reviews and currently holds 62% on Rotten Tomatoes (if you care about that kind of thing). Despite the criticism (some valid, some vapid), Pretty Woman grossed over a half-billion dollars worldwide. It also helped propel Julia Roberts onto the Hollywood A-list.

    I can acknowledge that for this review, I watched Pretty Woman with new, more mature eyes, as I try to do with every rom-com I loved in the ’90s. Did I find aspects of it problematic? Yes, of course, I did. I’m not entirely sure this movie would fly with audiences today – the hooker with a heart of gold needing and wanting to be saved from her lowly status by the wealthy, emotionally unavailable prince.

    I want to think that modern views on sex work have evolved since 1990, and no one would use the term “hooker” in 2019 (though sadly, I’m sure plenty of people still do), but I also found that there are some aspects of Pretty Woman that felt fairly progressive.

    Vivian Ward (Roberts) realizes her job is not ideal, but she makes the rules. She says who, when, and where… and how much. She gets tested, and she insists on condoms… she even flosses after strawberries and champagne because, you know, gum health is super important. Some moments in this movie still feel uncomfortably relevant – the belief that sex workers are not people, that they’re essentially open and available for anyone, whether they want it or not. Pretty Woman occasionally touches on these issues, but ultimately, the darker aspects of sex work remain glossed over, probably because this is still a Garry Marshall-directed rom-com.

    When Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), a corporate raider on business in L.A., gets lost on his way to Beverly Hills, he is approached by a prostitute named Vivian, who is willing to give him directions to his hotel in exchange for cash. Edward agrees, and by the time they reach Edward’s hotel, the two of them have bonded enough for Edward to invite her upstairs to his room – the penthouse.

    After a night of champagne, revealing phobias, I Love Lucy, and sex, Edward propositions Vivian. Spend the week with him as his employee/date, and she’ll walk away with $3,000 (the film’s original title, when it was more of a gritty, dark drama). Vivian agrees with enthusiasm, and the journey to love begins. Through Edward, Vivian realizes her potential, and through Vivian, Edward finds his conscience. The movie will surely remind us how similar Edward and Vivian really are (“We both screw people for money.”).

    Pretty Woman is formulaic and overrun with rom-com tropes… though it’s possible a few of those tropes originated in this film. But it’s also propelled by Julia Roberts’s performance. Despite some social-status and class naivety, she’s the Cool Girl, adorably quirky and smart. Vivian comes across as calm and confident, but her constant fidgeting makes her uncertainties evident. Roberts is energetic and charming in the role, whereas Gere is appealing but subdued as Edward. He seems tired of his life path despite having everything he could possibly want. Gere and Roberts play well off of each other. Their chemistry is palpable and fuels the movie, making it easier to believe in the Cinderella fantasy.

    While the chemistry between the two leads is essential to any rom-com, the supporting cast is just as important to keep it from feeling bland or one-dimensional. Thankfully, the cast of Pretty Woman is just as fun to watch as Gere and Roberts. There is a subtle but wonderful performance by Héctor Elizondo as Barney Thompson, the hotel manager, and Vivian’s “fairy godmother,” and Laura San Giacomo is hilarious as Kit, Vivian’s loving, wisecracking roommate and friend. Every fairytale also needs a villain, and that’s where Jason Alexander comes in, skeeving up the screen as Edward’s shady lawyer, Philip Stuckey. Keep an eye out for a brief appearance by Hank Azaria as well!

    There is nothing realistic about Pretty Woman. It’s a fairytale through and through, and if you can overlook some of its glaring issues, it’s an endearing romance. If nothing else, it’s had an incredible impact on pop culture, from Roberts’s shopping spree and subsequent takedown of some snotty saleswomen (“You work on commission, right? Big mistake. Big. Huge!”), to her iconic red evening dress. The movie has been referenced, parodied, and paid homage to more times than I can count. Even this year’s fantastic rom-com, Long Shot, borrows quite a bit from the Pretty Woman experience.

    Honestly, sometimes it’s nice to turn off your brain and get lost in a mindless fantasy, and that’s what Pretty Woman is.

    Watched: 09/27/2019
    Notable Song: Must Have Been Love by Roxette

    Rating:
  • ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (1997) Review

    ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (1997) Review

    Julianne (Julia Roberts) and Michael (Dermot Mulroney) have been best friends for nine years, ever since their hot fling in college settled into something far more platonic. They grew to be so close, in fact, that they made a pact that if they were both single when they turned 28, they would get married.

    When Julianne receives a call from Michael shortly before her 28th birthday, she’s a bit panicked that he may be calling to remind her of the pact… instead, she learns he’s calling to tell her he’s met someone and that they’re getting married that weekend. This sparks a realization in Julianne that she does love Michael, and now she has four days to stop this wedding from happening and declare her love for Michael. Thus begins a string of devious manipulations as Julianne works on breaking up the happy couple.

    Having watched this movie several times over the past two decades, I still appreciate its deviation from the typical rom-com formula. Jules is our leading lady, but she’s not exactly one we want to root for. Her devious machinations are born out of jealousy, but does she really love Michael? As her editor and friend George (a very charming Rupert Everett) asks, “do you really love him, or is this about winning?” We always want what we can’t have, and Jules clearly has trouble distinguishing love from love.

    Perhaps she’s just afraid of having to share him with another woman, even though she’s been the woman in his life for the past nine years. Roberts perfectly balances her role, keeping Jules from becoming a complete villain in the story because, despite some truly awful behavior, Jules can also recognize right from wrong, even when she attempts to justify wrongdoing. With a little help from George, who essentially plays her conscience, you know she will do the right thing in the end.

    Cameron Diaz was not exactly the star she is now when she was chosen to star opposite rom-com powerhouse Julia Roberts. Still, she holds her own as Kimmy and manages to make a character who could have been completely phony and obnoxious into someone charming and genuine. She is not just the one-dimensional “other woman” who distracts our leading man from the true love of his life until the big reveal of love and a happy ending. No, Kimmy is true competition here, and if anything, I found myself rooting for her while waiting gleefully for Jules’s manipulations to be revealed.

    The great thing about My Best Friend’s Wedding is that it has some basis in reality. George tells Jules to tell Michael she loves him… when Jules asks George what Michael will do, George tells her, “He’ll choose Kimmy.” I love the candor here, and we, as the audience, know he’s right. There will be no twist, no revelation that Kimmy is a nightmare, cheating, or devious in her own right to justify everything Jules has done. This is just a romantic movie about best friends who struggle to figure out what they mean to one another before one of them commits fully to someone else. It’s about accepting change and letting go.

    The supporting cast is fabulous. Yes, we have the gay best friend in George, but Everett is so damn charming and funny that the film gets a much-needed comedic lift when he shows up. Carrie Preston and Rachel Griffiths are a hoot (yes, I said that) as Kimmy’s gossipy cousins, and of course, we receive one of the best-known rom-com moments with the seafood restaurant singalong “I Say A Little Prayer For You” led by Everett.

    Mulroney and Roberts had decent chemistry here. There is a familiarity that makes their (nearly) decade-long friendship feel real. I appreciate that Mulroney plays Michael a touch differently with Jules than with Kimmy. There is love for both women; you can see the difference in his expressions and how he speaks to them. Michael could have been so bland, but Mulroney gives him plenty of depth.

    I would say my complaint with My Best Friend’s Wedding is the idea that Kimmy should drop out of college one year before graduation and put her life on hold to follow Michael around various ballparks as he covers the games for his job. She won’t even get a real honeymoon.

    It’s clearly a source of contention for the couple, and Michael blows up at her when she suggests he stay in Chicago and work for her father for six months or so. Kimmy wants stability and to finish school, but this is not up for discussion with Michael. Kimmy quickly and tearfully relents, admitting she was wrong. Jules uses this sore spot to her advantage but doesn’t necessarily agree with Michael’s selfishness. The matter is never really brought up again, but it definitely left me feeling a bit icky about the couple.

    My Best Friend’s Wedding remains as magical and bittersweet in 2019 as it did when it was released in 1997. Julia Roberts may be the only actress who could play a character like Jules and still make us like her. And while the restaurant singalong gets most of the attention from this movie, I still find Jules and Michael’s dance on the riverboat while he sings “The Way You Look Tonight” to be one of the most romantic scenes I’ve ever watched in a rom-com.

    Watched: 08/18/2019
    Notable Song: The Way You Look Tonight

    Rating:
  • ‘Notting Hill’ (1999) Review

    ‘Notting Hill’ (1999) Review

    Notting Hill Synopsis: The life of a simple bookshop owner changes when he meets the most famous film star in the world.

    Twenty years ago, Julia Roberts had two romantic comedies released within two months of each other. The first was Notting Hill, where she played Anna Scott, a famous actress who found love with an awkward but charming Brit, played to perfection by Hugh Grant. The other was Runaway Bride, which featured the much-anticipated reunion between Roberts and her Pretty Woman co-star, Richard Gere. While both films were box office successes, Notting Hill won critical acclaim and remains Roberts’s best-reviewed romantic comedy.

    Having recently re-watched Runaway Bride, I was disappointed that the movie didn’t quite hold up in my eyes in terms of romance or comedy the way it had in 1999 and the years after when I would pop in the DVD and watch it at home. Because of my recent less-than-enthusiastic reaction to Runaway Bride, I was reluctant to revisit Notting Hill for this review. I didn’t want to risk potentially ruining the magic I remember experiencing the first time I sat in a movie theater to watch Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant fall in love.

    Suffice it to say, I had nothing to worry about. 20 years later, Notting Hill, written by Richard Curtis, holds up as both a romance and a comedy and is as charming and warm as ever, giving us a picturesque view of London and a gorgeous soundtrack.

    Grant plays Will Thacker, a divorced travel bookshop owner who lives in Notting Hill with a scruffy layabout named Spike (Rhys Ifans). One day, while minding the store, Anna Scott, a famous American actress currently in London, walks in. Will recognizes her almost immediately and attempts to play it cool but instead finds himself bumbling through a sales pitch while cornering another customer for trying to shoplift a book by shoving it down his trousers.

    Needless to say, Anna is charmed by Will’s bumbling ramblings and his lack of overt machismo and smarmy innuendo that she has grown used to from other men. After an impulsive kiss, Will and Anna find themselves in a somewhat secretive, whirlwind romance that takes us on an emotional rollercoaster that doesn’t end until the very last scene.

    As much as I adore Grant as playboy sleazeball Daniel Cleaver in the Bridget Jones’s movies, I believe he’s truly at his best when he’s playing the stammering, affable everyman who wears his heart on his sleeve as he stumbles into love. Nobody does it better.

    Julia Roberts is… well, Julia Roberts, complete with her megawatt smile and contagious laughter. She brings plenty of depth to Anna, flaws and all, and I suppose you could speculate or even assume that perhaps she brought a few of her own life experiences into the role, given that around the time the movie was being filmed, Roberts was by all accounts and purposes, the most famous actress in the world.

    Despite Anna’s rather horrible behavior towards Will when their relationship is unceremoniously revealed to the world by Spike, Roberts expresses such softness and vulnerability when she attempts to win Will back that you forgive her much more quickly than he does. How could you not? Especially when Anna blesses us with one of the most romantic lines ever uttered in a rom-com:

    “The fame thing isn’t really real, you know. And don’t forget, I’m also just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

    I found the rest of the cast to be just as appealing and likable as the romantic leads. Will’s eccentric sister Honey (the late Emma Chambers) and his friends feel as though they’re us, the audience, star-struck and encouraging this rather unlikely romance as it blossoms. And even though Spike’s slobbery and complete lack of self-awareness is still as cringe-worthy now as it was 20 years ago, I have to admit that he’s also become rather endearing as a character as well.

    I suppose it’s fair in some ways to compare Notting Hill to Four Weddings and a Funeral, also written by Curtis, but frankly, I find Notting Hill to be the far superior film. It’s more polished and funnier, and more importantly, Roberts and Grant’s sizzling chemistry is palpable and helps drive the believability of an otherwise unrealistic premise. They keep us emotionally invested in their journey, so much so that I was willing to overlook and, admittedly, maybe even celebrate the somewhat contrived ending.

    Witty, poignant, delightfully funny, and romantic, I truly believe the time has come to call Notting Hill a classic.

    Watched: 06/08/2019
    Notable Song: She by Elvis Costello

    Rating:
  • ‘Love Wedding Marriage’ (2011) Review

    ‘Love Wedding Marriage’ (2011) Review

    Six weeks after her wedding, Ava (Mandy Moore) is rocked by the news that her mother, Betty (Jane Seymour), wants a divorce from her father, Bradley (James Brolin). Ava also happens to be a marriage counselor and takes it upon herself to try and mend her parents’ fractured marriage while putting her own in jeopardy.

    I had never heard of Love Wedding Marriage before scrolling through Netflix last week, and after watching it, I could figure out why. Mandy Moore’s Ava is a hopeless romantic who relies on her daily horoscope to help her make decisions, yet she’s a marriage counselor whose job is to listen to couples whose relationships are in trouble and offer constructive, clinical advice.

    She’s six weeks into her new marriage to Charlie (Kellan Lutz) when Betty declares she wants a divorce after discovering Bradley had slept with a woman twenty-five years earlier while they were separated. Of course, this triggers Ava’s inner counselor, and she begins to neglect her young marriage in an effort to save her parents’ marriage.

    Bradley soon moves into Ava and Charlie’s house, putting more strain on their marriage, though Ava barely seems to notice Charlie’s unhappiness with the situation. She brushes him off when he reminds her that she can’t save every marriage, and while Charlie is not perfect, he seems to be the only character in this movie with any lick of sense.

    Understandably, any child would want to keep their parents together, especially when they’re this close to celebrating thirty years together. But while Ava’s nonchalant sister, Shelby (Jessica Szohr), takes the news in stride, Ava’s actions grow more desperate and manipulative, leading Charlie to question who she really is and why she married him in the first place.

    Sadly, Ava’s last-ditch effort to reunite her parents actually works, which is a problem in of itself because it’s pretty heinous. With that taken care of, it seems she can finally focus on resolving the issues in her own marriage, giving Ava everything she wants without any real consequence for how she went about getting them. Mandy Moore is fine as Ava, mostly because the script doesn’t seem to give her much to work with and doesn’t require much emotional range. Charlie is the voice of reason, but Kellan Lutz makes the role a bit bland.

    There’s no real purpose to Love Wedding Marriage’s supporting cast. Ava’s sister Shelby fits the description of the hot, free-spirited sister who lacks ambition, and Betty and Bradley feel like every other rom-com couple on the verge of divorce, spouting pent-up resentments and lamenting the loss of their youthful dreams until some outlandish, life-altering event makes them see just how good they’ve always had it.

    And, of course, Charlie’s best friend Gerber (Michael Weston) is a playboy who marries a Polish hottie in need of a green card, and wouldn’t you know it, their marriage seems to actually be perfect, complete with sex whenever he wants it. I imagine Julia Roberts’s voice-only cameo as Ava’s therapist was simply because she’s friends with Dermot Mulroney (in his directorial debut here), and Christoper Lloyd shows up in what may be the only legitimately funny bit as Bradley and Betty’s short-lived therapist.

    Love Wedding Marriage is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but there is very little romance and comedy. Instead, it was just very ‘meh,’ offering nothing new to the genre. It took me a while to get through it, as more exciting things kept distracting me. I would rewind the parts I missed, only to realize I hadn’t missed anything at all.

    Watched: 01/18/2019
    Notable Song: Ain’t That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin

    Rating:
  • ‘America’s Sweethearts’ (2001) Review

    ‘America’s Sweethearts’ (2001) Review

    Eddie (John Cusack) and Gwen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) were once Hollywood’s power couple, both on-screen and off, until Gwen fell in love with another man. Now, Kiki (Julia Roberts), Gwen’s personal assistant and sister, and Lee, a movie publicist, must convince the media that the stars are working toward reconciliation to sell the last movie they filmed together. Things get a bit complicated when Eddie and Kiki’s friendship turns romantic.

    The film has its issues, but I don’t think it ever takes itself seriously, which makes it easy to enjoy. There are some fun cameos (Alan Arkin spouting New Age-y nonsense), and Christopher Walken’s brief turn as Time Over Time’s quirky director is worth it, even if you have to suffer through Hank Azaria’s horrible accent/speech impediment. However, ‘eet’s beeger than coins’ is still something I quote to this day.

    Gwen’s overly narcissistic movie star is the worst (I say that with affection). Eddie is a heartbroken mess addicted to holistic drugs (he claims he’s paranoid schizophrenic), and Kiki is the long-suffering sister in love with her ex-brother-in-law.

    Everything and everyone feels like a rom-com caricature, but to me, America’s Sweethearts is funny enough that it works, and honestly, it’s pretty self-aware. When Eddie declares his love for her and Kiki asks what’s next, he responds, ‘ Traditionally, we kiss.’

    I’m not sure I would have liked America’s Sweethearts as much had it been anyone but John Cusack, and I did love his chemistry with Julia and Catherine. The cast made the movie entertaining more than anything else. I was bummed that Seth Green’s clueless publicist seemed to disappear halfway through the film. Also, Stanley Tucci is a bonus here, as always.

    Watched: 11/24/2018
    Notable Song: Some Hearts by Kelly LeVeque

    Rating:
  • ‘Runaway Bride’ (1999) Review

    ‘Runaway Bride’ (1999) Review

    It’s been twenty years since Runaway Bride premiered in movie theaters, reuniting Richard Gere and Julia Roberts for the first time since their 1990 megahit Pretty Woman. While not the desired sequel to Pretty Woman that fans had been asking for, Runaway Bride still raked in over $300 million worldwide at the box office, becoming both Roberts and Gere’s third most successful movie of their careers.

    Ike Graham (Gere), a columnist known for his “bitter diatribes about women,” writes a piece on a small-town woman, Maggie Carpenter (Roberts), who has left several men at the altar, thus being labeled ‘the runaway bride’.

    His story is littered with factual inaccuracies, which prompt Maggie to respond viscerally in a letter to the editor. Ike is fired for failing to conduct due diligence before writing the column. To restore his reputation, he travels to Hale, Maryland, to write a more in-depth piece on Maggie as she attempts her fourth walk down the aisle.

    This movie is littered with rom-com tropes, but honestly, that’s what makes it so fun. The big-city journalist is trying to find a story in a small, close-knit town while unwittingly being drawn to the woman who is the subject of his article and ire.

    And, of course, the beautiful, mysterious girl next door who doesn’t seem to know who she really is, as her entire life seemed to revolve around changing her personality for whichever man she was currently involved with. Ike and Maggie endure a battle of wits before coming together to grow and, of course, fall in love.

    While this movie does have its eye-roll-inducing moments, such as Ike telling Maggie that she doesn’t want men telling her what she really wants, while telling her what she really wants, I feel it’s perhaps slightly less problematic than Pretty Woman was. In any case, Gere and Roberts still have the chemistry that made Pretty Woman such a success, even if I found Gere’s character, Ike, to be a bit on the bland side for a leading man.

    However, Julia Roberts more than makes up for that with Maggie. She takes a character that could have been wholly unlikeable, making her feel relatable and real. Maggie is beautiful and spirited, but she is also insecure and fairly oblivious to the hurt she inadvertently causes some of her loved ones with her flirtatious, outgoing behavior.

    Even twenty years later, Runaway Bride remains pure fluff. Admittedly, it goes off the rails in the third quarter of the movie, but it is still entertaining and humorous enough that you’re willing to ignore the little voice in the back of your head that says none of this has any basis in reality.

    Runaway Bride is extremely predictable but also romantic and fun, and it’s worth a watch just for the video montage of Maggie leaving her first three fiancés at the altar. Ideally, she would have realized marriage is not really a prize and not a goal that she needed to strive for, but rom-coms being rom-coms, Maggie and Ike needed to end up together so she could overcome her “fear” of walking down the aisle to the perfect – and I use that word lightly – man.

    Oh, and Joan Cusack is in this, which is always a bonus.

    Watched: 10/18/2018
    Notable Song: Ready to Run by The Dixie Chicks

    Rating: