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Mrs. Winterbourne
There are some dangling plot points and it's about as corny and predictable as a movie can be, but a winning cast makes a 1996 Cinderella story called Mrs. Winterbourne worth a look.
Connie Doyle is an 18 year old girl who gets pregnant by her sleazy boyfriend, who wants nothing to do with being a dad and kicks her out. By chance, Connie ends up on a train bound for Boston, where she is befriended by a charming guy named Hugh Winterbourne who is headed home with his new bride, Patricia, who is also pregnant. There is a terrible train wreck where Hugh and Patricia lose their lives. Somehow, when Connie wakes up in the hospital, everyone thinks she's Patricia and she and her newborn are whisked away to the mansion of Hugh's mother, Grace, who lives there with Hugh's twin brother, Bill.
Connie tries to explain to Grace and Bill who she really is, but Grace is not listening. Bill is suspicious but decides to let it go because Grace is so happy. Bill does find out who Connie really is, but falls in her love with her and chooses to keep her secret. Connie is about to wrap a ribbon around her new life when the sleazy boyfriend tracks her down and wants his slice of the Winterbourne pie.
We really don't expect the Cinderella story we're going to get when the film opens with Grace Winterbourne confessing to a murder, but that is what we have here. Connie is blessed with the ultimate Cinderella story, in way too convenient a fashion, but unlike Vivian in Pretty Woman, Connie fights what's happening to her and does make sincere efforts to come clean which prove fruitless. The basic premise that brings about this new life for Connie is troublesome though...it's hard to believe that after a major train wreck, medical and police authorities would mistake Connie for Patricia...Patricia's body wasn't found? No tests were run on Connie during her hospital that might expose who she really was?
It's also a bit hard to swallow that Grace accepts Connie unconditionally...I would think that most women with the kind of money Grace has would have at least had DNA testing done on the baby before adding him to her will. I also found it a little hard to believe that Grace would actually confess to murder to protect Connie, but by this time, the reality ship had sailed on this one.
Richard Benjamin's direction is a little pedestrian, except for the terrific performances he gets from his cast. Ricki Lake works hard to overcome some cliched writing to keep Connie likable and Shirley MacLaine is smooth and understated as Grace. Brendan Fraser is charming as Bill though I never really bought Loren Dean as the sleazy Steve. A couple of other familiar faces pop up, including Peter Geraghty, Jane Krakowski, Debra Monk, and a glorious cameo by Benjamin's wife, Paula Prentiss. It's an effective time killer as long as you don't think about it too much.
There are some dangling plot points and it's about as corny and predictable as a movie can be, but a winning cast makes a 1996 Cinderella story called Mrs. Winterbourne worth a look.
Connie Doyle is an 18 year old girl who gets pregnant by her sleazy boyfriend, who wants nothing to do with being a dad and kicks her out. By chance, Connie ends up on a train bound for Boston, where she is befriended by a charming guy named Hugh Winterbourne who is headed home with his new bride, Patricia, who is also pregnant. There is a terrible train wreck where Hugh and Patricia lose their lives. Somehow, when Connie wakes up in the hospital, everyone thinks she's Patricia and she and her newborn are whisked away to the mansion of Hugh's mother, Grace, who lives there with Hugh's twin brother, Bill.
Connie tries to explain to Grace and Bill who she really is, but Grace is not listening. Bill is suspicious but decides to let it go because Grace is so happy. Bill does find out who Connie really is, but falls in her love with her and chooses to keep her secret. Connie is about to wrap a ribbon around her new life when the sleazy boyfriend tracks her down and wants his slice of the Winterbourne pie.
We really don't expect the Cinderella story we're going to get when the film opens with Grace Winterbourne confessing to a murder, but that is what we have here. Connie is blessed with the ultimate Cinderella story, in way too convenient a fashion, but unlike Vivian in Pretty Woman, Connie fights what's happening to her and does make sincere efforts to come clean which prove fruitless. The basic premise that brings about this new life for Connie is troublesome though...it's hard to believe that after a major train wreck, medical and police authorities would mistake Connie for Patricia...Patricia's body wasn't found? No tests were run on Connie during her hospital that might expose who she really was?
It's also a bit hard to swallow that Grace accepts Connie unconditionally...I would think that most women with the kind of money Grace has would have at least had DNA testing done on the baby before adding him to her will. I also found it a little hard to believe that Grace would actually confess to murder to protect Connie, but by this time, the reality ship had sailed on this one.
Richard Benjamin's direction is a little pedestrian, except for the terrific performances he gets from his cast. Ricki Lake works hard to overcome some cliched writing to keep Connie likable and Shirley MacLaine is smooth and understated as Grace. Brendan Fraser is charming as Bill though I never really bought Loren Dean as the sleazy Steve. A couple of other familiar faces pop up, including Peter Geraghty, Jane Krakowski, Debra Monk, and a glorious cameo by Benjamin's wife, Paula Prentiss. It's an effective time killer as long as you don't think about it too much.