Gideon58's Reviews

Pleasantville had to be one of the biggest surprises I've ever had at the movies. This is a movie that constantly flies in the face of cinematic normality,defying all the rules of big screen storytelling and making us accept everything that us going on.
This superbly mounted and completely winning fantasy starred Toby Maguire and Reese Witherspoon as a contemporary teenage brother and sister who are magically transported into a black and white television show called "Pleasantville", a show similar to "Leave it to Beaver" or "The Andy Griffith Show", where everyone in the town knows each other, where the fire department only saves cats from trees and where there are no pages in books or toilets in bathrooms.

Maguire's character is a "Pleasantville" trivia expert so he knows everyone there and everything that's going to happen but sis Witherspoon is a stranger in a strange land whose introduction of 1990's sensibilities to the citizens of this town brings about extraordinary change. What is interesting is the interaction between Maguire and Witherspoon with the characters from the sitcom and how some citizens are open to the changes that are going on and how some aren't.

The film is beautifully made (the art direction, set direction, and cinematography are Oscar-worthy). The integration of color and black and white photography is absolutely glorious. The film also possesses a very smart screenplay and superb performances, the best of which is by Joan Allen, who is luminous as Betty, the mother in the sitcom who is shocked at first but learns to accept the 1990's coming to Pleasantville.

Yes, it may borrow from other movies, but there is a freshness and originality to this movie that is most engaging and anytime with Don Knotts is time well spent.

Attachments

     

Poseidon is the 2006 theatrical remake of the 1972 classic about an ocean liner that is capsized by a 90-foot tidal wave on New Year's Eve and the struggle for a handful of passengers to get to the bottom (top) of the boat before it sinks. Irwin Allen's widow, Sheila is listed in the opening credits as Executive Producer, which surprised me because I cannot believe that she actually put her seal of approval on this.

This re-thinking, as opposed to a remake, really only borrows the basic premise of the original. In '72 the Poseidon was an old barge on its last legs making what was supposed to be its final voyage. Here, the Poseidon is a state of the art ocean liner that appears to have something like seven or eight decks. The ship includes scenic elevators and there is a casino and a disco.

The opening shot of the movie where the camera sweeps around the ship is breathtaking, but director Wolfgang Petersen's obsession with getting to the sinking meant other sacrifices and the main one was too little exposition that didn't allow us time to care about these people before the ship turned over. We've barely been introduced to the characters when the tidal wave hits and as the journey to survival begins, we really don't care because the characters here don't even begin to resemble the characters in the original and it's hard to care about what happens to them.

Two of the few likable characters in the movie, a gambler named Lucky Larry, played by Kevin Dillon and a galley worker played by Freddy Rodriguez, are eliminated early on and the rest of the survivors are pretty intolerable. There is a mother and son played by Jacinda Barrett and Jimmy Bennet (Harrison Ford's son in Firewall)who you just want to strangle 20 minutes into the movie.

The movie features state of the art special effects, but after the ship turns over, it becomes completely devoid of interest because we don't learn enough about these characters to care about them the way we cared about Hackman's priest and Shelley Winters' little old lady swimming champ. The best thing about the movie is that it clocks in under 90 minutes.

Attachments

 

Postcards from he Edge is a glittering all-star comedy based on the best selling book by Carrie Fisher that chronicles a particular difficult period in Fisher's life and her relationship with mom Debbie Reynolds. In this fictionalized version of the events in Fisher's life, Meryl Streep plays Suzanne, an actress who has just been released from rehab on the condition that she be under the custody and roof of her mother, a former actress (Shirley MacLaine) and what happens when she finally gets her first chance to work after coming out of rehab. This story is smart and funny and features a wonderful cast including Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss,Rob Reiner,Conrad Bain, Mary Wickes, Annette Bening, Gary Morton, and CCH Pounder, but it is really the amazing performances by Streep and MacLaine, guided b y the master directorial hand of Mike Nichols, that make this movie work. Both ladies are also given opportunities to sing and make the most of them. The song "I"m Checkin' Out" which Meryl sings at the end of the movie, received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song as did Streep for Best Actress. 8/10

Attachments

     

Pretty in Pink was the hip and stylish teen angst comedy-drama where writer John Hughes continued his cinematic love affair with Molly Ringwald which blends the expected teen angst with a sharp look at the class system at the high school level. Ringwald plays Andy, an honor student from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for Blaine (Andrew McCarthy)a rich kid who goes to Andy's school and the tension that arises from their individual social circles when Blaine asks Andy to the prom.

One of Hughes' better efforts thanks to a smart screenplay and charismatic performances. Rock solid supporting performances come from James Spader, at his oily best as Blaine's insensitive best friend who harbors a secret attraction to Andy; Annie Potts as Andy's ditzy best friend/employer, and especially Jon Cryer, in the scene-stealing performance of a lifetime as Duckie, Andy's best friend who wishes he were more, but it is Ringwald's Andy who is the heart of this movie, a character who will melt your heart and arouse instant empathy for the angst she is subjected to here. One of the best teen films from the 80's. 7.5/10

Attachments

     

Primal Fear features Edward Norton in his first major role. Norton is nothing short of astonishing as a former Chicago alter boy who has been accused of murdering a celebrated priest with a checkered past.

Richard Gere has one of his best roles as Martin Vale, an arrogant yet capable attorney who agrees to defend Norton because of what the victory would do for his resume more than belief in the young man's innocence.

It is the complicated twist and turns of the trial, Gere's surprisingly solid interpretation of a rather complex character and most of all, the amazing performance of Edward Norton, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor that make this film sizzle.

Mention should also be made of a strong supporting cast including Laura Linney as the prosecuting attorney and former protégé of Vale's, Alfre Woodard as the judge, Frances McDormand as a court-appointed therapist, and Andre Braugher as Vale's leg man. Steve Shagan's solid screenplay and Gregory Hoblit's uncompromising direction are the final touches on one of the better courtroom dramas of the 90's but what you really go away from this film remembering above all else is the performance by Edward Norton that made him a star. 7.5/10

Attachments

   

A woefully underrated and probably under-appreciated film, Prime was one of the great surprises of 2005 for me.

This smartly written comedy-drama stars the divine Meryl Streep as Dr. Lisa Metzger, a Jewish psychiatrist who one day must deal with the fact that one of her patients (Uma Thurman), a 37- year old divorcée, is dating her 23 year old son. This film didn't do great business at the box office and I have a feeling it might have been because the film is not filled with belly-laughs; however, it did have me smiling from start to finish.

If for no other reason, the film is worth seeing for a beautifully understated performance by Master Thespian Streep. In the hands of an ordinary actress, the role of a Jewish mother and psychiatrist could have become very slapsticky and over the top but Streep keeps a tight rein on the character, never allowing her to become a stereotype. Streep never resorts to mugging or cheap theatrics but can say more with a furtive look or a turn of the head than most actresses can do with 20 pages of dialogue. Watch her in the scene where you see it dawning on Lisa that her patient is dating her son, an average actress could have made this seem so silly, but Streep so beautifully internalizes Lisa's shock and disbelief at what she learns, it's a delight to watch and should be required viewing for all acting students.

Uma Thurman turns in what I believe is the best performance of her career, a full-bodied performance as an independent career woman on the outside whose interior struggles keep her a mess and hunky Bryan Greenburg shows definite leading man potential as son and lover David.

This movie was a delightful surprise from first time writer-director Ben Younger who seems to have a promising grasp on the concept of romantic comedy. A quiet, well-acted, stylish, and sexy comedy that will keep a smile on your face. 7/10

Attachments

 

Private Parts is the hysterically funny and raunchy film version of the autobiography of the self-proclaimed "King of All Media"- Howard Stern which is a comedic chronicle of his rise from college communications student to the #1 radio disc jockey in New York, who has shocked audiences and kept the FCC on their toes for years with his shocking and outrageous on the air antics that have offended audiences, sponsors, and even his own family with equal opportunity.

Breezily directed by Betty Thomas (THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE), Stern offers a comic tour-De-force here, playing himself and recreating some of his most outrageous radio stunts, aided by radio cohorts Robin Quivers and Fred Norris, also playing themselves.

Stern is backed up by a solid cast including Mary McCormick (lovely as Stern's wife Allison), Michael Murphy, Allison Janney, Jonathan Hadary, Paul Hecht, and towering above them all, Paul Giamatti, who officially became a movie star with his roll-on-the floor funny turn as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, Howard's program director at WNBC, who challenges Stern at every turn but never gets the best of him.

The film is hysterical from start to finish and features cameo appearances from John Stamos, Mia Farrow, Carol Alt, Ozzy Ozbourne, Dee Snider, AC/DC, and another of Stern's radio buddies, Stuttering John. A laugh-out loud comedy that entertains right through the closing credits. Not for the kids. Beware of edited prints.

Attachments

     

Rain Man is the riveting and emotionally-charged drama about family and brotherhood that evoked laughs, tears, and Oscars. This was the story of Charlie Babbit(Tom Cruise), a self-absorbed and cocky man with his own private auto business whose business is in financial shambles. Charlie experiences mixed emotions when he learns his wealthy father has just passed away and travels across country for his funeral and the reading of the will, but is disgusted when he learns that his father's 3 million dollar estate has been put in a trust.

Investigating the trust, Charlie is shocked to learn about a brother named Raymond (Dustin Hoffman)who he never even knew existed, who is autistic and institutionalized. Thinking it's his only way to get his share of the money, Charlie sneaks Raymond out of the institution launching an emotional and intense journey where Charlie gets to know and eventually bond with his brother.

Barry Levinson's masterful and meticulous direction won him the Oscar for Best Director. Dustin Hoffman won his 2nd Best Actor Oscar for his haunting performance as the autistic Raymond...Hoffman is nothing short of amazing here as he completely loses himself in this role. Tom Cruise gives a razor sharp performance as the self-absorbed Charlie...Cruise was supposed to be submitted for a supporting Oscar but felt his role was a leading role and refused to be submitted in the supporting category. I think if he had been nominated in the supporting category he would have won...it was his finest work to date (his only performance better than this one was in MAGNOLIA).

Watching the slow development of the relationship between these two brothers is an emotional and rewarding experience and trust me, tears will be shed along the way. The richly deserved Oscar-winning Best Picture of 1988..an instant classic.

Attachments

   

A well-worn comic premise is revived with some success in Raising Helen, a watchable family comedy that has the breezy direction of Garry Marshall and a charismatic cast working for it. Kate Hudson stars as Helen Harris, a Manhattan bachelorette who works at a modeling agency who finds her life turned upside down when she is awarded custody of her sister's three children after her sister's sudden death in a car accident. Also thrown into the mix is an underdeveloped romance with a hunky pastor, played by John Corbett (Sex and the City). The story plays out pretty much as expected though the screenplay attempts to encompass too much. Marshall's direction is strong and Hudson's charm is undeniable. Joan Cusack, as always, steals every scene she's in as Helen's sister Jenny, a tightly-wound supermom who thinks she should have gotten custody of the kids. Helen Mirren (in a refreshing change of pace) and Marshall's good luck charm, Hector Elizondo provide some amusing moments as Helen's two employers during the course of the story. The kids are well-played by Hayden Pannetierre, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Abigail's real-life older brother, Spencer. Like most of Marshall's films, it's a little too long, but laughter and warmth can be found here. 6/10

Attachments

 

Director Ron Howard hit a bullseye with Ransom, a taut and emotionally charged drama that will have you riveted to the screen thanks to a multi-textured story and some superb performances.

This intense drama stars Mel Gibson as a self-made millionaire, owner of an airline, whose questionable methods in averting a strike at his airline, have indirectly led to the kidnapping of his son. Howard has a wonderful screenplay to work with where nothing is in black and white...the characters are three-dimensional here with personal agendas and hidden motivations that don't always match what their character is doing on the surface.

Gibson's self-made millionaire is presented as a flawed human being who has made mistakes and is willing to admit his part in what has happened to his son and even the kidnappers aren't a cohesive unit...there is infighting and resentments among them and you're never sure if they're going to stay together and keep their eye on the prize.

The screenplay brings us to what we think is the end of the story and we are left unsatisfied...or so we think. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat right to fade-out and the performances are flawless right down the line. This is one of Gibson's best performances and Rene Russo is strong and vulnerable as his wife. Gary Sinese delivers one of the slimiest villains to ever grace the silver screen as the highly intelligent but clearly evil kidnapper and Lili Taylor, Donnie Wahlberg, Evan Handler, and Liev Schrieber are quite unsettling as his crew, whose true allegiances are not always clear. Delroy Lindo also offers one of his best performances as the police officer assigned to the case and there's a brief but effective turn by Dan Hedaya as a con Gibson thinks might be responsible. Brawley Nolte, real-life son of actor Nick Nolte, plays the victim of the kidnapping. An Americanized version of a French film, this was a triumph for director Ron Howard and everyone involved. Everything works here. 8/10

Attachments

     

Ray is the riveting and richly entertaining film biography of blind musical icon Ray Charles, from his more than humble beginnings in rural Mississippi to his eventual super stardom as one of the leading R&B artists of this century.

Lovingly directed by Taylor Hackford, this film paints Charles as a man who, from childbirth had it instilled in him that he was not to allow his blindness to be a roadblock in achieving anything that he wanted to achieve and that remaining independent in spirit would get him where he wanted to be and would take away the liability of his handicap.

Taylor Hackford has always been a very self-indulgent director whose work (AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, WHITE KNIGHTS, DELORES CLAIBORNE, etc.)has always been meticulous in detail to the point where a 90 minute movie ends up being two and a half hours, and this movie is no exception. Almost two hours into the story, the film has only reached the year 1958, but interest is sustained due to some extraordinary performances, mainly the dazzling Oscar-winning performance by Jamie Foxx in the title role.

Foxx is nothing short of miraculous in his interpretation of Charles, a brilliant melding of acting genius and impersonation that is positively haunting in its accuracy for those of us who grew up with Ray. The elements of impersonation never become mimicry and Foxx's work in this role is nothing short of extraordinary...some of Ray's music is dubbed with Charles' voice and Jamie does some singing too but Foxx's performance is so precise, it's hard to tell when Ray is singing and when Foxx is.

Kerry Washington turns in a vivid performance as Ray's devoted wife, a patient church-loving woman who puts up with a lot (downplayed in this screenplay)but remains loyal to the man. Clifton Powell is very good as the leader of Ray's band and there is a powerhouse turn by Regina King, in a performance that should have earned her a Supporting Actress nomination, as one of Ray's back-up singers, who Ray has an affair with and gets pregnant. King has not been seen to such good advantage since JERRY MAGUIRE. There is also a mesmerizing and heartbreaking performance by Sharon Warren as Ray's no-nonsense mother.

Yes, the movie is about 30 minutes too long and the screenplay downplays and/or glosses over the downside of Ray's life, his drug abuse and womanizing in particular (the film portrays Ray as fathering one illegitimate child even though IRL he fathered about six I believe), but I think this was out of respect to the subject, who was still alive at the time this film was being made.

And there is plenty of Ray's music to revel in like "What I Say?", "Hit the Road Jack", "Georgia on my Mind", and "I Can't Stop Loving You". I love the scene where Ray is recording a new song and he's sent the backup singers home already and records all the back-up vocals himself. It's a little long and rambling, but still one of the best biopics of a real life showbiz figure to be mounted in years.

Attachments

     

Rent is the exuberant 2005 film version of the long running Broadway musical, loosely based on the opera LaBoheme, that swept the 1997 Tony Awards, which follows an eclectic group of Greenwich Village residents navigating the choppy waters of life that include drug addiction, homelessness, AIDS, commitment phobias, and other realities of life for New Yorkers, as well as the rest of us.

The standout element of this musical for me is the amazing musical score by the late Jonathan Larson. The song score for this story is alternately in-your-face and haunting, perfectly blending rich melodies with rapid-fire, almost rap-like patter that brings to mind rock operas like Jesus Christ Superstar. The talented cast (several from the Broadway show)includes Anthony Rapp as Mark, a documentary filmmaker, Adam Pascal as Roger, a songwriter who falls for a stripper with a heroine addiction named Mimi (Rosario Dawson), Tony Winner Idina Munzel (WICKED) as Maureen, a free-spirited, lesbian performance artist and Tracie Thomas as her new lover, Joanne, and a pair of memorable turns from Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Jesse L, Martin as a drag queen and hustler, both afflicted with AIDS, who fall for each other. Those who only know Martin for his work on NBC's LAW & ORDER will be in for quite the surprise as this role is about as far removed from Lt. Ed Green as you can imagine.

I liked that director Chris Columbus took the chance of utilizing most of the original Broadway cast in bringing this musical to the screen. With the exceptions of Rosario Dawson ad Tracie Thomas, the other leads came straight from the Broadway production, even though few of them were movie names. An actor who plays the same character for eight performances a week for several years is going to understand that character better than anyone and I think this is why this musical works so well...these actors have inhabited these characters for a long time and make the moviegoer care about them and possibly seek out the original stage version.

Standout musical numbers include the now classic "Seasons of Love", "The Tango Maureen", "Take Me or Leave Me", "Light My Candle" and "Will I ?", a touching allegory performed at an AIDS support group. Now I'm sure those who saw Rent on stage will have a plethora of complaints about this film version but as someone who didn't, this film version was a joy.

Attachments

 

Thumbs up for Panic Room, Primal Fear, Private Parts, and Pretty in Pink.

Resurrection features my favorite Ellen Burstyn performance and that's saying a lot since I adore Ellen Burstyn and her work but I was deeply moved by her extraordinary performance in 1981's Resurrection, based on the true story of Edna Mae McCauley, a woman who gets into a horrific car accident which she barely survives (a journey which includes an out of body experience to the white light), but upon her return to the living, she is shocked to discover she has the ability to heal people with terminal illnesses and handicaps.

Burstyn manages to imbue Edna with this lovely humanity which never allows her to exploit or take advantage of her special gift. Burstyn is so special in this film, she gives the character so much heart and makes her achingly real, despite her special gift.

There is one amazing scene, which is burned in my memory forever, where she heals someone of a disfiguring illness and allows the illness to enter her own body and temporarily inhabit her own body. Burstyn commits so completely to this scene and it's harrowing to watch. Resurrection is a very special movie experience. 8/10

Attachments

 

The ultimate "Misfits Revenge" movie, Revenge of the Nerds became an instant classic in 1984, with some of the most memorable scenes and quotable dialogue since Young Frankenstein.
This raunchy comedy follows a group of oddball college students who are thrown together by circumstance and exposed to constant humiliation and ridicule by the jock fraternity on campus and how they get their ultimate pay back.

Yes, the film is predictable as they come as we've seen this formula a million times, but it's watchable thanks to some wonderful set pieces, outrageous dialogue and on target performances by Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Curtis Armstrong (memorable as Booger), John Goodman, Ted McGinley (no that is not a misprint), Larry B. Scott, and Timothy Busfield. Standout scenes include the "Wonder Joint" Party and the Lamda's musical performance during the big Olympic competition. A hilarious comedy that demands repeated viewings. 7.5/10

Attachments

     

Ringmaster is a crude and raunchy fictionalized "behind the scenes" look at the production of an episode of THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW, the daytime talk show that makes stars out of ordinary trailer trash who love to come on the show and air their dirty laundry in front of a national television audience.

If you can accept the completely fabricated premise in which this story is presented, you might find some laughs here. This film shamelessly perpetrates the myth that Jerry and his staff recruit the guests for the show and do nothing else. It seems to claim that Jerry and his staff have nothing to do with the outrageous on stage shenanigans and that it is all spontaneous and unplanned, which we know for a fact is not true.

If you can accept that the entire premise of this film is based on this huge lie, then it is easy to go along with the story of two separate groups of trailer trash being booked on the show. Jerry plays himself with as much sincerity as the plastic screenplay allows. Emmy winner Jaime Pressley (MY NAME IS EARL)and Wendy Raquel Robinson (THE GAME)offer energetic lead performances as the two protagonists in the separate stories being booked on the show. As stupid as this movie is, I still found myself laughing. There are laughs throughout and I have a feeling this film is going to be added to my "guilty pleasure" list because I found myself laughing despite the fact that I felt like I shouldn't be. 5.5/10

Attachments

 

Risky Business is the smart and sexy 1983 teen comedy that brought intelligence to the genre and made a bonafide movie star out of Tom Cruise. Cruise is utterly winning as Joel Goodson, a high school senior excited about the prospect of having the house to himself when his parents go out of town for a few days; but things go from bad to worse when Joel crosses paths with a nubile prostitute (Rebecca DeMornay). This surprise hit brought an element of sophistication that was absent from a lot of the teen comedies that were populating the screen in the 1980's.

This movie boasts a smart screenplay, imaginative direction, a memorable musical score, and on-target performances from Cruise, DeMornay, Curtis Armstrong, Joe Pantoliano (memorable as a slimy pimp), Bronson Pinchot, and Janet Carroll. Tom's sexy underwear dance to "Old Time Rock and Roll" has become Hollywood folklore. An instant classic upon release that still holds up over 20 years later. 7.5/10

Attachments

   

Roxanne was a 1987 comic reworking of the classic play CYRANO DE BERGERAC, starring Steve Martin as CD Bales, the fire chief in a small mountain town in Colorado called Nelson, who feels a lack of self-esteem because of his big nose; however, is easily the most intelligent citizen in the town and practically runs it though no one seems to know. CD falls in love with Roxanne Kowalski (Daryl Hannah), a beautiful astrology student who comes to Nelson for the summer, but Roxanne falls for Chris McConnell (Rick Rossovich) a handsome and hunky fireman who can't put two sentences together, but when CD coaches Chris on how to woo Roxanne, she falls hard, not realizing that it's CD's words, not Chris' that are making her swoon.

This intelligent comedy is not only hysterically funny but is genuinely warm with some wonderfully romantic and tender moments. CD's speech to Roxanne as he hides in the bushes pretending to be Chris is so beautifully written and performed that it almost brings a tear to the eye. On the other hand, Martin is rolling-on-the-floor funny in a bar scene where a bully makes fun of his nose and he has to come up with 20 different insults centered on a big nose. I've always been under the impression that this scene was Martin's brainchild and probably wasn't in the original script but it is the scene that everyone who sees this film remembers.

It's Martin's little moments with Darryl Hannah's Roxanne, when he's bursting inside to tell her how he feels but just can't, that make this film so engaging. Steve Martin's performance in this film is just remarkable and many, myself included, felt he should have received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He did not, of course, because we all know the Academy looks down on comedy performances. At the 1988 Oscar ceremony, host Chevy Chase came onstage wearing a huge fake nose as a jab at the Academy for not nominating Martin.

Fred Schepisi's inspired direction, lovely scenery and solid support from Rossovich, Shelley Duval, Michael J. Pollard, and Fred Willard are icing on the cake. Don't blink or you'll miss a brief appearance by a very young Damon Wayons as a fireman who works for CD. One of the great film comedies of the 80's...if you've never seen it, treat yourself.

Attachments

       

Royal Wedding was a colorful and splashy MGM musical that turned out to be one of Fred Astaire's best offerings, despite the initial trouble insuring a leading lady for the project.

The film was originally planned for Fred and June Allyson, who had to drop out when she learned she was pregnant. Judy Garland was then approached, as the studio had been anxious to reunite her with Astaire since their triumph in Easter Parade, but Judy began her now-famous behavior patterns of showing up late on the set all the time or not at all, and Astaire was not having that, so Jane Powell was finally brought in to take the role.

Astaire and Powell play Tom and Ellen Bowen, a brother and sister song and dance team who have been tapped to perform at the royal wedding in London (I believe it's the Queen who has requested they perform), so they take a cruise ship to London. On the ship Ellen meets a debonair playboy (Peter Lawford) and at the London auditions, Tom falls for a dancer (Sarah Churchill)who he casts in the chorus of his show.


This breezy plot provides the backdrop for several showstopping numbers, the most famous of which is "You're all the World to Me" in which Astaire, while staring at a photo of Churchill, is so head over heels in love that he dances on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Movie historians have argued for years about how this scene was done. I don't know and don't care...it's such a joyous expression of love through dance that nothing else really matters.

Astaire also has a solo called "Sunday Jumps" where his partner is a hat rack and, as always, Fred makes his partner look good. There's also a showstopping duet with Astaire and Powell called "How Could you Believe me when I said I loved you when you know I've been a liar all my life?" which features Fred as a slick gangster and a surprising Powell, as a brunette, gum-chewing floozy. Liner notes from the soundtrack album claim that this song was written by composers Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane in a limo on the way to the studio one day. Despite a wooden performance from Sarah Churchill, daughter of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, this musical is a joy and one of the best from the MGM stable.

Attachments

         

Rumor Has It is a delicious and richly entertaining romantic comedy which stars Jennifer Aniston as Sarah Huttinger, an obituary writer who travels to her hometown of Pasadena with her fiancée for her little sister's wedding and stumbles upon some facts about her deceased mother that lead her to believe that mom was the inspiration for the Elaine Robinson character in The Graduate and that grandma is the real Mrs. Robinson.

Sarah learns that her mother spent the week before marrying her dad in Mexico with a Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner)who is supposedly the real Benjamin Braddock and thinks he might be her biological father.

OK, the plot is a little far-fetched but Rob Reiner's breezy direction and the smart and charismatic performance from Jennifer Aniston make this improbable story more than watchable. Costner's easy going charm perfectly inhabits the role of Beau Burroughs and Shirley MacLaine steals every scene she's in as Sarah's grandma. MacLaine can play this kind of role in her sleep by now but she never fails to command the screen and garner big laughs.

Richard Jenkins, Mark Ruffalo, Mena Suvari, and Kathy Bates round out this first rate cast as Sarah's father, fiancée, sister, and aunt, respectively. A completely captivating romantic comedy that generates big laughs and warm sentiment. Just put your brain in check and enjoy. 7/10

Attachments