Julia
Roberts was absolutely engaging in My Best Friend's Wedding. It seemed that the
romantic comedy was her calling. This year, she takes a step backwards--make that
two steps backward. One with the overrated Notting Hill and another with the completely
unbelievable Runaway Bride.
For
those of you sleeping under a rock, this film is the long awaited reunion from
the team that brought us Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and director
Garry Marshall, return with more romantic nonsense.
This
time around, Roberts plays a woman with extremely cold feet, who leaves a string
of would-be grooms high and dry at the altar. Richard Gere plays a journalist
who writes a nasty human interest story about her for USA Today. Naturally, when
he meets her, he finds himself immediately attracted to her.
Garry
Marshall and crew certainly mean well. There isn't anything offensive or ugly
about this film, but there isn't anything interesting or realistic about it either.
Gere
and Roberts are wonderful together. They even stir up more chemistry than they
did the first time around--but it doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's all by the
numbers. Marshall also gets good supporting performances, particularly from the
always dependable Joan Cusack.
For
the most part, Runaway Bride is a forgettable movie experience, but it's light
years better than Marshall's last few films--Exit To Eden and Dear God.
